Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education
In health professions education, the hidden curriculum is a set of implicit rules and expectations about how clinicians act and what they value. In fields that are very homogenous, such as rehabilitation professions, these expectations may have outsized impacts on students from minoritized backgroun...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/791 |
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| author | Laura L. Wolford Mirza J. Lugo-Neris Callie Watkins Liu Lexi E. Nieves Christopher L. Rodriguez Siya S. Patel Sol Yi Lee Keshrie Naidoo |
| author_facet | Laura L. Wolford Mirza J. Lugo-Neris Callie Watkins Liu Lexi E. Nieves Christopher L. Rodriguez Siya S. Patel Sol Yi Lee Keshrie Naidoo |
| author_sort | Laura L. Wolford |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In health professions education, the hidden curriculum is a set of implicit rules and expectations about how clinicians act and what they value. In fields that are very homogenous, such as rehabilitation professions, these expectations may have outsized impacts on students from minoritized backgrounds. This qualitative study examined the hidden curriculum in rehabilitation graduate programs—speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy—through the perspectives and experiences of 21 students from minoritized backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews explored their experiences with their programs’ hidden curricula. These revealed expectations about ways of being, interacting, and relating. Three overarching themes emerged, each reflecting tensions between conflicting values: (i) blend in but stand out; (ii) success lies in individualism, while de-prioritizing the individual; and (iii) fix the field, using your identities as a tool. When the expectations aligned with students’ expectations for themselves, meeting them was a source of pride. However, when the social expectations clashed with their own culture, dis/ability, gender, or neurotype, these tensions became an additional cognitive burden, and they rarely received mentorship for navigating it. Health professions programs might benefit from fostering students’ critical reflection on their hidden curricula and their fields’ cultural norms to foster greater belonging, agency, and identity retention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-63a8bc2a8f664a558b0d1d8bacb43183 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-63a8bc2a8f664a558b0d1d8bacb431832025-08-20T03:36:18ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-06-0115779110.3390/educsci15070791Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions EducationLaura L. Wolford0Mirza J. Lugo-Neris1Callie Watkins Liu2Lexi E. Nieves3Christopher L. Rodriguez4Siya S. Patel5Sol Yi Lee6Keshrie Naidoo7MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAMGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAIn health professions education, the hidden curriculum is a set of implicit rules and expectations about how clinicians act and what they value. In fields that are very homogenous, such as rehabilitation professions, these expectations may have outsized impacts on students from minoritized backgrounds. This qualitative study examined the hidden curriculum in rehabilitation graduate programs—speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy—through the perspectives and experiences of 21 students from minoritized backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews explored their experiences with their programs’ hidden curricula. These revealed expectations about ways of being, interacting, and relating. Three overarching themes emerged, each reflecting tensions between conflicting values: (i) blend in but stand out; (ii) success lies in individualism, while de-prioritizing the individual; and (iii) fix the field, using your identities as a tool. When the expectations aligned with students’ expectations for themselves, meeting them was a source of pride. However, when the social expectations clashed with their own culture, dis/ability, gender, or neurotype, these tensions became an additional cognitive burden, and they rarely received mentorship for navigating it. Health professions programs might benefit from fostering students’ critical reflection on their hidden curricula and their fields’ cultural norms to foster greater belonging, agency, and identity retention.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/791hidden curriculumspeech therapyphysical therapyoccupational therapysocial learningculture |
| spellingShingle | Laura L. Wolford Mirza J. Lugo-Neris Callie Watkins Liu Lexi E. Nieves Christopher L. Rodriguez Siya S. Patel Sol Yi Lee Keshrie Naidoo Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education Education Sciences hidden curriculum speech therapy physical therapy occupational therapy social learning culture |
| title | Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education |
| title_full | Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education |
| title_fullStr | Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education |
| title_short | Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Health Professions Education |
| title_sort | uncovering the hidden curriculum in health professions education |
| topic | hidden curriculum speech therapy physical therapy occupational therapy social learning culture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/791 |
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