Cross-cultural academic experience in medical education: Enrichment of teaching through Confucian, French and American influences

Abstract

I was born in Vietnam, a country that had a strong Chinese cultural influence, and grew up at the transition between the French and American influence. I began teaching medical students in Vietnam when anatomy teaching was still influenced by the French philosophy and methods. I came to Australia as a refugee and returned to medical practice and resumed lecturing anatomy at the University of New South Wales where I have seen the changes from the traditional British-influenced programme to the new Problem-based method. I had previously completed my surgical training in the American system and recently had some teaching experience in North America as a visiting professor of anatomy. Thus I have been a student and lecturer in three different social and cultural environments (Confucian, French and American) prior to my current work as an academic in Australia. This chapter is an account of my observations and personal experience of the influence of cultural background on student-lecturer interactions.