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Background: Trigger warnings—advance notification of content so recipients may prepare for ensuing distress—feature in discussions in higher education. Students' expectations for warnings in some circumstances are recognised, and some educators and institutions have adopted use. Medical education necessitates engagement with potentially distressing topics. Little is known about medical students' expectations regarding warnings in education. Methods: All students from a 4‐year graduate‐entry UK medical degree programme were contacted via digital message outlining study details and were openly sampled. Qualitative methodology was chosen to explore participant expectations, experiences and meanings derived from experiences. Students participated in semi‐structured interviews exploring perspectives on functions, benefits and drawbacks of trigger warnings in classroom‐based medical education. We analysed interview transcripts using thematic analysis. Results: Thirteen semi‐structured, qualitative interviews were undertaken. Themes in the following areas were identified: (1) students' experiences influence understanding of trauma and trigger warnings, (2) warnings as mediators of learning experiences, (3) professional responsibilities in learning, (4) exposure to content, (5) professional ethos in medical education and (6) how to issue trigger warnings. Students recognised the term ‘trigger warning’, and that warnings are an accommodation for those affected by trauma. Students' conceptualisation of warnings was influenced by personal experiences and peer interactions both within and outside education. Students expressed both support and concerns about use of warnings and their ability to influence learning, assuming of responsibility and professional development. Discussion: Diverse student opinions regarding warnings were identified. Most students suggested that warnings be used prior to topics concerning recognised traumas. Incremental exposure to distressing content was recommended. Students should be supported in managing own vulnerabilities and needs, while also experiencing sufficient formative exposure to develop resilience. Greater understanding of trauma prevalence and impacts and underpinnings of warnings amongst students and educators are recommended to optimise education environments and professional development.

Background:\ud Trigger warnings - prior notification of topics so recipients may prepare for ensuing distress - are encountered widely in contemporary culture. Students at some universities have expressed expectations for trigger warnings. Medical education routinely exposes students to numerous potentially distressing topics. However, this topic remains understudied in medical education. Little is understood about educators’ views or practice relating to warnings in the context of medical education.\ud \ud Methods:\ud Twenty medical educators from a medical degree programme in the UK participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview study, exploring medical educators’ views and experiences of managing distressing situations and, specifically, their use of warnings. We analysed interview transcripts by thematic coding and identified themes.\ud \ud Results:\ud Analysis identified themes relating to educators’ conceptualisation of trigger warnings and rationale for use, concerns about the use of warnings and the critical purpose of medical school in ensuring preparedness for clinical practice.\ud \ud Participants: shared that warnings were given to empower students in approaching distressing topics and to enable engagement with learning. Warnings acknowledged that some experiences would be distressing and normalised and signalled acceptability of emotional responses. Decisions to use warnings were influenced by the nature of content and, reactively, in response to experiences of student distress. Terminology regarding trigger warnings was interpreted varyingly by participants. A broad variety of topics were identified as potentially sensitive. A number of concerns were noted regarding the use of warnings.\ud \ud Discussion:\ud Warnings alone did not fulfil educators’ responsibility in supporting students’ professional development, but may be a useful adjunct, signalling that self-care is valued and should be prioritised. Despite frequent use of warnings, individual educator practice was shaped by varying rationale. A framework that addresses competing tensions of preventing distress while supporting professional development is needed as part of a trauma-informed approach to medical education.