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. 2020 Sep 24:11:673-681.
doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S258723. eCollection 2020.

The Hidden Curriculum Challenges in Learning Professional Ethics Among Iranian Medical Students: A Qualitative Study

Yahya Safari  1 , Alireza Khatony  2 , Mohammad Rasoul Tohidnia  3
Affiliations

The Hidden Curriculum Challenges in Learning Professional Ethics Among Iranian Medical Students: A Qualitative Study

Yahya Safari et al. Adv Med Educ Pract. .

Abstract

Background: Medical ethics is a vital quality for the doctors which has been seriously taken into consideration in recent years. Identifying the factors affecting medical ethics may help to develop more effective ways to promote this quality in medical education. This study was aimed to explain the challenges of hidden curriculum in learning the professional ethics among Iranian medical students.

Materials and methods: This qualitative study was performed on 15 medical interns of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2019 using grounded theory (GT). Sampling was started by purposive sampling and continued through theoretical sampling until complete data saturation. Data collection and analysis were done simultaneously. Data were interpreted by the constant comparative method according to Strauss and Corbin's approach.

Results: The results showed that the challenges of hidden curriculum for learning the professional ethics by medical students included a number of key concepts. Analyzing these concepts and taking into account the commonalities, we obtained six subthemes using a reduction inductive method, the main theme of which was "the challenge of hidden curriculum in learning the professional medical ethics". The subthemes included "decreased interest in medicine", "false beliefs", "curriculum weakness", "materialism and economic problems", "avoidance of responsibility", and "underlying problems of the medical profession".

Conclusion: The findings indicated six challenges in the hidden curriculum for learning the professional medical ethics. These challenges can be considered a threat or an obstacle to achieving the goals of professional ethics. Therefore, curriculum planners, education policymakers, and teachers should plan and implement the professional ethics curriculum based on these factors.

Keywords: curriculum; medical education; professional ethics; professionalism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest for this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theme and subthemes related to the hidden curriculum challenges in learning professional ethics.
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