title: The anatomy and physiology of conflict in medical education: a doorway to diagnosing the health of medical education systems.
abstract: This qualitative study uses data from students, teachers and administrators to deepen our understanding of conflict in medical education, its nature and its consequences. It especially looks at systemic issues which may foster or hinder the health of an educational system or of any organization. Its intention is to provide better understanding of the medical education system so that this knowledge can be used to enhance the health of future medical education systems. It is preliminary to a study that would focus on ways of improving the healthiness of future systems. The findings underline the importance of moral education in the training of our future physicians (McWhinney, 1986). The importance of example by faculty and staff and moral development of the physician flows from the authors' data and their interpretation of its meaning. Also, it further underlines the importance of faculty and medical educators modeling both caring and exemplary moral behavior within our educational institutions. Bandura (1986) developed the notion of modeling and showed that, 'even at a preconscious level, we learn moral behaviors through observing and imitating authority figures and/or significant others' (Crysdale, 2006). This is especially important because caring, or compassionate presence, is so essential to healing.
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. sawa@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Phelan
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Myrick
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Deb
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hurlock
authors.forename: Gayla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement; D017144:Focus Groups; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011231:Preceptorship; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*