Junior Resident vs Attending: Navigating Conflict
- The life of a medical student is demanding, filled with heavy workloads and intense clinical rotations.
- Suresh Mohan, now an otolaryngologist and surgeon at Yale Medicine in new Haven, Connecticut, recalls an incident as a third-year medical student when he disagreed with a chief...
- Mohan said, "I quickly realized [about this senior physician] ‘I think you’re letting yoru ego get in the way of doing the right thing for the patient.’ That...
Facing a disagreement with an attending physician? This article explores how junior residents and medical students can navigate conflict while prioritizing patient care and advocating for their needs—the chief takeaway.Learn how to effectively address concerns, even when challenging authority. Discover best practices for clear interaction and escalating issues,vital for any aspiring physician. Dr. Suresh Mohan and Dr.Joshua Rarick share their experiences, illustrating common scenarios and offering actionable advice. Find out how to use hospital resources like ombudsmen and mentors to ensure the best patient outcomes. News Directory 3 provides critical insights for physicians on this very topic. Discover what’s next for those seeking to master conflict resolution in the medical field.
Navigating Disagreements: When Medical Students Challenge Doctors
Updated June 10, 2025
The life of a medical student is demanding, filled with heavy workloads and intense clinical rotations. Junior residents often view attending physicians as highly skilled healers.However, disagreements can arise, requiring students to navigate complex situations while advocating for patients.
Dr. Suresh Mohan, now an otolaryngologist and surgeon at Yale Medicine in new Haven, Connecticut, recalls an incident as a third-year medical student when he disagreed with a chief resident about a patient’s treatment. The situation quickly escalated into an emergency.
Mohan said, “I quickly realized [about this senior physician] ‘I think you’re letting yoru ego get in the way of doing the right thing for the patient.’ That was the first time I disagreed with the way that I watched this person manage something…I realized it was a very human emotion that got in the way of them doing the right thing.”
Mohan and his chief resident were called to consult on a patient with a bleeding trachea following a tracheotomy. Despite repeated calls about the patient’s worsening condition, the chief resident initially dismissed the concerns. Eventually, the patient went into distress because the trach tube was not fully in the airway. Mohan and the team managed to secure the airway.
Dr. Joshua Rarick, a fourth-year general surgery resident at Covenant Hospital in Saginaw, Michigan, experienced a similar situation as a third-year resident.He was on call when a post-bariatric surgery patient’s vitals began to decline. Rarick believed the patient was bleeding internally and needed to return to the operating room, but the attending physician initially disagreed.
Rarick said,”[My attending] disagreed with my plan to go back to the OR [operating room] but eventually we had to go back to the OR because there was a bleeder that we needed to clip.”
Rarick noted that such disagreements are not uncommon and don’t always lead to conflict.
Mohan advises medical students and junior residents to speak up if they believe a patient’s case is not being handled correctly, but to do so diplomatically.He suggests that residents,who are often up-to-date on the latest information,can educate attendings in a palatable way.
In situations where disagreements persist, and a student feels a patient’s care is being mishandled, Mohan recommends escalating the concern. He suggests contacting a hospital ombudsman, clerkship director, site director, or faculty mentor as resources.
Mohan said, “If there’s something egregious happening, and the resident or student doesn’t feel cozy approaching in a direct format, ombuds people are able to report a concern.”
What’s next
Medical students and residents should prioritize patient well-being while navigating professional hierarchies. Open communication, thorough preparation, and awareness of escalation protocols are key to resolving disagreements and ensuring optimal patient care.