comparison of hidden medical curriculum of tabriz university of medical sciences and tabriz azad university of medical sciences from the students’ perspectives

Background: considering components of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the highereducation system is a useful adjunct to the formal curriculum since the learning and functionof medical students are strongly affected by these components. the current study compares thehidden medical curriculum of tabriz state and non-state universities of medical sciences fromthe students’ perspectives.methods: in the current descriptive-comparative study, the statistical population included thetotal students of tabriz state and non-state universities of medical sciences. the statisticalsample of the given study consisted of 400 students from senior and higher academic levels atthe tabriz state and non-state universities of medical sciences based on morgan’s table. twohundred students from each university were selected using stratified random sampling. the datacollection tool was a researcher-created valid questionnaire. the validity and reliability of thegiven questionnaire in respect to its components were 0.94 and 0.76, respectively.in the analysis of data, an independent inferential t_test was utilized.results: the results of the analysis found that from the students’ perspectives, the mean scoresof the hidden curriculum in medicine in the tabriz state university of medical sciences rankedthe following components higher than the tabriz non-state university of medical sciences: (1)education, including curriculum and goal-setting, clinical education and content, (2) socialphysicalenvironment, (3) regulations and rules, including reward and punishment system,organizational structure, respect for rights and value system and (4) relations, including moralbehavior, approach, participation, and responsibility. however, in the fifth component ofcontexts and perspectives, including personal-environment/family context and professionalfinancialperspectives, there was no significant difference between the hidden curriculum oftabriz state and non-state universities of medical sciencesconclusion: the components of the hidden curriculum in medicine affect the learning richnessand function of students and should be taken into consideration by universities of medicalsciences, particularly non-state universities.