An Exploratory Qualitative Content Analysis of First-Year Veterinary Students' Perspectives on Conflict

Teamwork among health professionals is a requirement for the delivery of excellent medical care; effective teamwork leads to improved patient outcomes and greater job satisfaction for health care professionals. A critical component of successful teamwork is effective conflict management. While preliminary evidence suggests that many health care providers have negative perceptions of conflict and conflict-avoidant tendencies, no existing research to-date has explored veterinary students' perspectives on conflict. Understanding the ways in which veterinary students perceive conflict represents an important first step in helping them identify strategies for future conflict management. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the first-year veterinary students' perspectives on conflict. Students responded to two open-ended prompts as part of a reflection assignment following an instructional module on conflict. Results from the qualitative content analysis showed that students demonstrated an understanding of (a) the role of feelings and emotions in conflict, (b) the importance of relying on facts and observations as opposed to evaluations and judgment in conflict, (c) the value of competent communication in conflict, and (d) self-awareness of personal factors related to conflict. These findings highlight the power of self-reflection to learners' awareness of default tendencies when faced with conflict, the impact of their attitudes and experiences on conflict behavior, and a willingness to incorporate a collaborative approach to conflict resolution in the future.