BACKGROUND: Since the field of health professions education (HPE) is an emerging trend in the country, educationists face considerable challenges in their workplaces while proposing any changes in the existing systems of academic institutions. The challenges affect the quality of work, hinder innovation, and create a dysfunctional work environment, non-conducive for both personal and professional progress. The study was conducted to explore the various kinds of challenges faced by educationists while bringing changes to the existing systems of academic institutions in Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative exploratory research design was used to explore the challenges faced by health professions educationists in Pakistan during their efforts to bring about changes in the existing systems and structures. Thirteen health professions educationists working in various academic institutions of Pakistan were interviewed through one-to-one semi-structured interviews from March to May 2022. The data obtained were analyzed through manual thematic analysis, and themes and subthemes were identified. RESULTS: Four themes emerged after qualitative data analysis explaining the predominant challenges faced by educationists. These included challenges related to faculty and staff, institutional constraints, challenges from leadership, and stakeholders’ apprehension. CONCLUSION: Challenges are inevitable at every workplace but the field of health professions education in Pakistan faces significant challenges in institutions, leading to hindrance in positive developments and innovations in the field. Educationists should be skilled at recognizing the predominant challenges in the workplace and be equipped with strategies to manage conflicts to achieve productive results and to promote the long-overdue reforms in the field.

BACKGROUND: A teacher's appropriate use of nonverbal communication skills, mainly kinesics, can play a crucial role in the success of the students. Medical educators are unaware of the effective use of nonverbal communication as an instructional skill that can be used to engage learners, balance learners' participation by controlling the classroom environment, and motivate them to have a passion for learning. The purpose of the study was to explore the students' perceptions regarding the effect of teachers' kinesics on students' learning and their learning environment. This can be helpful for teachers in modifying their teaching styles and delivering quality education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study with an exploratory design was conducted at a private medical institute in 2021 for a duration of 6 months. Fourteen medical students volunteered to participate in the study. Focus group discussions were conducted with the students to explore the experiences of the medical students regarding the use of nonverbal communication skills by their teachers and its effect on their learning in the classroom. The data collected was analyzed manually. RESULTS: The results of the study revealed that teachers' nonverbal behaviors in the classroom significantly influence students' motivation, engagement, and learning in the classroom. Students preferred interaction with the teachers who were friendly and confident and used their nonverbal communication skills (eye contact, facial expressions, hand gestures) effectively, compared to strict and judgmental teachers. CONCLUSION: Teachers need to motivate their students by improving their teaching styles and incorporating nonverbal behaviors positively in the classroom. By creating an impactful learning environment, students' participation and learning will increase, which will, in turn, improve their academic performance.

OBJECTIVE: Conflicts are inevitable in all human interactions. Clinicians at workplaces experience both personal and professional conflicts. Dental clinicians engage in multidisciplinary teamwork during their practice, which exposes them to a variety of conflicting situations. The study aimed to explore the trend of different conflict management styles practiced by dentists while working in collaborative practices. METHODOLOGY: The study was cross sectional descriptive survey in which 146 dental clinicians from multiple institutions participated with voluntary and informed consent. Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II) tool was used to collect data against the use of conflict management styles namely, Collaborating, Accommodating, Competing, Avoiding and Compromising. The obtained data were analyzed through SPSS 25.0. The data were categorized according to the 5 styles of conflict management and association with the variables of gender, position in organization, and type of organization was seen for each conflict management style. RESULTS: The study revealed that 54.8% of participants had collaborating style followed by avoiding style (18.5%) whereas, competing style was least predominant (3.4%). Both genders had collaborating style as most predominant style. No strong difference was seen in the frequency of conflict management styles between the dentists belonging to private and public institutions. Every cadre of clinicians was more inclined towards "collaborating" and "avoiding" conflict management style. Besides these two styles, house officers and demonstrators were more "accommodating" while residents and assistant professors were more "compromising". CONCLUSION: Dental clinicians in the present study mostly used collaborative style for conflict management in their practices.The awareness of conflict management styles is important so that the use of positive conflict management styles could be maximized. The use of effective conflict management styles should be taught to young dentists in order to equip them with necessary tools for everyday collaborations at clinical workplaces. KEYWORDS: Conflict, Conflict management, dentists, workplace