Mean Girls and Tough Guys: Communication Strategies for Handling Difficult Interprofessional Conflict

Disruptive behavior and perceived mistreatment remain common challenges in academic medicine. More than half of physicians report experiencing bullying or unprofessional behavior during their careers, and navigating rude, dismissive, or aggressive interactions is particularly difficult in the high-stress, high-acuity environment of the emergency department. Poor-quality communication underlies many of these conflicts, placing patients at risk, undermining team performance, increasing personal stress, and contributing to burnout.

Sociocultural differences in how competition and conflict are expressed further complicate these interactions. Leaders may be held to different behavioral standards based on personal attributes, with women leaders often facing heightened expectations for relational skills and greater consequences when conflicts arise. Effective communication is therefore a core competency in emergency medicine leadership.

This didactic will provide participants with a practical framework for managing difficult conversations and addressing interprofessional conflict. Faculty will review organizational strategies to discourage toxic behaviors and relational aggression, while emphasizing communication as a skill that can be learned, practiced, and refined. Attendees will gain tools to improve conflict navigation, enhance team dynamics, and support equitable leadership within academic emergency medicine environments.