Medical Education and the Hidden Curriculum

This chapter provides a broad overview of aspects of hidden curriculum (HC) theory and their implications for medical education. We begin by differentiating between the three primary types of curricula (formal, informal, and hidden) and examine their relative impact on the socialization processes of medical trainees. We then link the rise of a HC literature within medical education to prior work in sociology and education scholarship and spotlight how this more invisible curriculum reflects and perpetuates power relations and hierarchies within health care. We conclude by considering potential implications of HC theory for contemporary initiatives such as interprofessional education, and discuss resilient features of the HC as well as strategies and mechanisms that may assuage its impact on the culture of medical education and medical students’ attitudes and behaviors.