In some ways, I walked a mile in the refugee doctors' shoes. I learned about culture through my mistakes instead of being explicitly taught. Although mistakes aid learning, they also have the potential to erode relationships.

Samantha E. Smith reflects on her experience teaching refugee doctors and the importance of intercultural competence teaching for international medical graduates and the faculty who train them.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.