Learning to be a Doctor: Medical Educators Talk about the Hidden Curriculum in Medical Education
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Much of what medical students learn about being a doctor occurs not within the formal curriculum, but within informal and hidden curricula embedded within the institutional setting of the medical school/ teaching hospital. Although the effects of the hidden curriculum can be identified, its processes are much more difficult to identify. While curricular innovations have been implemented in many medical schools, there is concern that these will be undermined by the hidden curriculum. Method: Interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample of clinical educators. Results: The interviews revealed several areas of concern associated with the processes of the hidden curriculum within medical education. These included the cultural environment of the medical school, pedagogical practices in medical education, role modeling by clinical staff and teachers, and processes of professional socialisation. Conclusions: While attention is often paid to the negative effects of the hidden curriculum, our findings suggest that the hidden curriculum can also have positive effects. The undeclared, informal, and hidden curriculum needs to be brought to a level of conscious awareness by all those involved in medical education. In making the hidden curriculum explicit, the negative aspects can be examined and acted upon, while the positive aspects can be harnessed toward improving medical education, ultimately resulting in improved professional standards and better care for patients.
Authors: Chrystal Jaye, Terri D. Egan, Samuel Parker
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2992263262