providing a model of a hidden curriculum in medical majors with an emphasis on medical ethics

Background: the “hidden” curriculum, alongside official education, can transfer ethical andprofessional values and principles to medical students and show them the importance ofmedical ethics. ethical issues are essential factors influenced by the hidden curriculum in themedical educational system; these issues are also instruments for medical students as theydevelop their professionalism and idealism. the current study aims to provide an empiricalstudy model of this hidden curriculum and its role in transferring knowledge of medical ethics.methods: the current research is qualitative in the phenomenological type. the statisticalpopulation consisted of professors along with students in their fourth and upper years ofvarious medical disciplines at the tabriz university of medical sciences during 2019-2020. thesample group, according to the qualitative nature of the research, was compiled to a theoreticalsaturation to be 36 professors and students. the data were collected through semi-structuredinterviews. analysis was done using thematic coding and smith`s method. to maintain qualityand accuracy, interview content was analyzed by two authors to reconstruct the reality. thedata and their interpretation were then provided to the professors to confirm their accuracy.to ensure stability of the data, the interviews were conducted in a suitable atmosphere and incompliance with the interview conditions and isolated from bias and personal opinion.results: a total of 67 concepts were extracted that were consequently categorized into five mainthemes: 1. objectives and curriculum; 2. physical space; 3. backgrounds and perspectives; 4.laws and regulations; and, 5. relationships. a model for studying students’ experiences of thehidden curriculum and medical ethics was presented.conclusion: since medical professors and senior students are dealing with patient health, it isessential to acknowledge the concept of medical ethics as a “hidden” curriculum alongsidescientific and professional issues in designing medical curriculum.