Conflict is inevitable in any setting where individuals must work towards a common goal. In the context of a surgical residency, there exists several etiologies through which conflict can emerge and be exacerbated. It is important to understand how best to resolve these issues as collaboration is essential among residents, faculty, and hospital staff to achieve the best patient outcomes and resident training.

There exists many strategies for conflict resolution such as the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model, Levine 7-Step Model, or AIDET communication framework. Many of these emphasize the importance of understanding the role of perspective for those involved in conflict. Our review provides background to these tools and their applications in resolving conflicts.

In this review, we highlight sources of resident conflict, and models of resolution that can be employed. Furthermore, we provide applications of how conflict resolution strategies can directly address common problems encountered within surgical residencies.