Diagnosing conflict in clerkship: insights from medical students’ experiences

Identifying conflict characteristics from a student perspective can guide curricular improvements to better prepare students for clerkships and professional practice. Awareness of conflict management styles, types and triggers enables proactive conflict resolution, fostering growth or constructive outcomes. Findings emphasise the importance of setting clear expectations, maintaining effective communication, building psychologically safe environments, reducing stress and establishing trust between students and residents. Based on medical students' reflections, these patterns may extend to other health professions, offering a broader relevance for training and research in conflict management across clinical settings.