A Qualitative Thematic Review of Contemporary Challenges Affecting Health Professions Education: Implications for Higher Education Leadership

 

Health professions education in the Philippines operates at the intersection of psychosocial strain, generational change, digital transformation, and structural resource limitations. This integrative narrative review synthesizes contemporary empirical and conceptual studies—spanning moral distress and burnout, intergenerational dynamics, Generation Z learning behaviors, licensure intentions, program viability, and clinical placement scarcity—to develop a unified understanding of the pressures confronting students, faculty, and academic leaders in licensure-based programs. A structured search and thematic synthesis yielded six cross-cutting themes: (1) moral distress and moral fatigue as pervasive psychosocial burdens across learners and educators; (2) role overload and burnout driven by simultaneous teaching, administrative, and regulatory demands; (3) intergenerational gaps influencing communication, pedagogy, and leadership practice; (4) the distinctive learning preferences and success definitions of Generation Z and emerging Generation Alpha; (5) structural tensions between enrolment-driven viability and licensure-driven quality; and (6) long-standing scarcity and maldistribution of clinical placement sites. Cross-theme integration reveals that these forces do not operate independently but converge to shape institutional decision-making, faculty engagement, learner preparedness, and ultimately licensure outcomes. The review highlights the absence of integrative, Philippine-focused research linking generational shifts with licensure expectations, faculty well-being, and structural constraints. It proposes a systems-level conceptual view that positions leadership as the central mediating function that must balance viability, quality, well-being, and generational responsiveness. Findings underscore the need for leadership models that are adaptive, data-driven, and psychosocially sensitive; governance structures that account for licensure cultures; and institutional strategies that integrate digital pedagogies, faculty support, and clinical training reform. The review contributes a synthesized evidence base to guide policy, leadership development, and future empirical work in Philippine health professions education..