Cultural Adaptability for Physicians Working in the Gulf

You Can Speak the Language and Still Get Lost in Translation

For physicians considering working in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Qatar, we often talk about the adjustment involved in moving to a new country. Different culture, different patients, different healthcare environment. Some physicians worry about language before they arrive, particularly if they don’t speak Arabic.

But really, there is nothing particularly unusual about this. … Think about a physician who trained in Saudi Arabia and then moved to Canada or the United States for residency or fellowship. He or she may speak excellent English, have very good clinical training and still need some time to adjust. Not necessarily to the medicine, but to the people and the way healthcare is practised around them.

How patients describe what is wrong may be different. How much they question their doctor may be different. The way families are involved, how colleagues communicate, how disagreement is expressed, even humour can take some getting used to.

The same thing happens in reverse. A Canadian, American, British or Australian physician arriving to work in the Gulf may walk into a modern hospital and find very little clinically that feels unfamiliar. The equipment is familiar. The protocols are familiar. The medical terminology is familiar. Then you start seeing patients and families and realize there are other things you have to learn.

Communication and Cultural Adaptability for Physicians in the Gulf

We sometimes confuse speaking the same language with understanding each other. A patient may speak very good English and the physician may speak very good English, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will communicate in exactly the way either one expects.

Some patients are very comfortable questioning their physician. Others are not. Some want to understand every possible treatment option before making a decision. Others may expect the physician to recommend what they believe is best. Some want their family very involved, while others prefer discussions to remain between themselves and their doctor.

This is where I think we have to be careful about the word “culture.” Knowing something about the culture of the country you are moving to is certainly helpful, but it can also become a problem if we start assuming every patient from that culture will think or behave the same way.

Sometimes the best thing a physician can do is simply ask. Who would you like involved in this discussion? Is there anything I haven’t explained clearly? Would you prefer an interpreter? Is there something you would like to ask but haven’t? Cultural awareness should help us understand the patient better, not make assumptions about them.

And Then There Is the Family

Family involvement is probably one of the adjustments some physicians notice when they first work in the Gulf. In some situations, the family may be much more involved in the patient’s care and discussions than the physician was accustomed to in their own environment.

But again, there isn’t one rule that applies to everyone. The important thing is understanding what the individual patient wants and making sure that, while respecting family and cultural considerations, the patient doesn’t somehow disappear from the conversation.

A physician from the Gulf going in the other direction may have adjustments of their own. North American expectations around privacy, individual decision-making and how treatment choices are discussed may initially be different from what they were accustomed to. 

Neither approach automatically makes one system better than the other. You learn the environment you are working in.

Sometimes You Need an Interpreter

I have always thought learning at least a few words of Arabic is helpful for physicians moving to the Gulf. It isn’t necessary to become fluent. Even a few words can break the ice with a patient and show that you are making an effort. But there is obviously a limit. When you are discussing a diagnosis, consent, treatment options, medications or something sensitive, being able to order coffee in Arabic isn’t enough. If physician and patient cannot communicate comfortably and accurately, that’s when professional language support becomes important.

A family member who happens to speak English can be helpful in everyday conversation, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the right person to interpret an important clinical discussion.

Maybe the Better Word Is Adaptability

In international physician recruitment, we spend a lot of time looking at qualifications. Where did the physician train? Are they Board Certified? How many years of experience do they have? Are they eligible for licensing? Do they have the clinical experience the hospital needs? All of that is important. It has to be. But after many years of recruiting physicians internationally, I think there is another quality that deserves more attention: adaptability.

I don’t particularly like the expression “cultural fit.” It can become very subjective very quickly. I prefer to think about candidate–opportunity alignment.

Is the physician comfortable working in a different healthcare environment? Are they curious enough to ask questions when something is unfamiliar rather than assuming their previous way is the only way? Are they prepared for differences in patients, colleagues, families and perhaps the way the department itself operates?

And this works both ways. The hospital also has a responsibility. You cannot recruit someone from another country, put them on an airplane, give them an ID badge and expect them to understand everything about their new environment on Monday morning. Good international physician recruitment should prepare the physician for the job, but also for the environment in which they will be doing that job.

Your clinical expertise travels with you. Your qualifications travel with you. How you communicate that expertise may need a little time to adjust after you arrive.