Abstract
Background: Professionalism and medical ethics are a vital quality for doctors, which has been taken into account seriously in recent years. Perception of the factors affecting professionalism may help to develop more efficient approaches to promote this quality in medical education. Objective: This study was aimed to explain the role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics in the Iranian medical students. Methods: This qualitative study was performed on 15 medical interns using grounded theory. Sampling was started by purposive sampling and continued through theoretical sampling until complete data saturation. Data collection and analysis were done simultaneously. Results: The analysis of the participants’ interviews and reduction of findings using common themes yielded one class and four categories as well as a number of concepts as the role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics in medical students. The categories included the role of modeling in the formation of professional ethics, role of education in formation of professional ethics, role of environmental factors in the formation of professional ethics, and role of personal and inherent attributes in the formation of professional ethics. Conclusion: The curriculum developers and medical education authorities need to proceed in line with the findings of the present study to provide a proper learning environment in which the modeling, learning, and teaching conditions and supportive environmental atmosphere are taken into account in accordance with the inherent and individual characteristics of the learners in order to guarantee the formation of professional ethics in the medical students.
The Hidden Curriculum Challenges in Learning Professional Ethics Among Iranian Medical Students: A Qualitative Study