Training and education must be frequently reviewed and developed to match the pace of rapid advances in psychiatry, preparing current and future psychiatrists to cope with the increasing amount of knowledge and skill required. In this, there is a need to ensure that training delivered internationally meets a common standard. This is essential not only to provide equivalent quality of care worldwide, but also to eliminate one of the obstacles faced by international medical graduates working abroad. Having the basic skills to publish work and viewpoints is essential in this era of rapid development and technological advancement to ensure sharing of knowledge and expertise.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Medical Training Initiative (MTI) enables qualified foreign-trained psychiatrists to gain further experience within the UK National Health Service (NHS). This article summarises the observations of two Nigerian psychiatrists during their forensic psychiatry placements on the MTI scheme and two of their UK supervisors. It discusses similarities and differences between Nigeria and the UK in forensic psychiatry, including the use of mental health legislation, the scope of forensic psychiatry and elements of the pathway to qualification in both countries. It concludes with recommendations that could improve the robustness of the MTI scheme.

International medical graduates provide a valuable service to the healthcare of their adopted countries. However, there remain a significant number of challenges in their adjustment and acculturation in the post-migration phase. We believe that the cultural capital these doctors bring with them can act as a support as well as a challenge. They are likely to face subtle and not-so-subtle, covert and overt discrimination at a number of levels. In this brief report, we highlight some of the issues faced by them and some potential solutions.