A study of medical students' experience of the hidden and informal curriculum in obstetrics and gynaecology

Objective: To determine student's positive and negative experiences in the hidden and informal curriculum in an obstetrics and gynaecology teaching environment, and to identify students' responses to these experiences. Study Design: An on-line questionnaire was developed to collect students self-nominated positive and negative experiences and their response to these experiences in the hidden and informal curriculum during their ten-week obstetrics and gynaecology term.
Results: Students' positive and negative experiences were analysed into four main thematic categories: student experience of health professional(s) delivering clinical care; student observation of health professional and other health team members interaction; student experience in clinical care delivery and student experience of teaching and learning with clinical staff. The students' responses to experiences was categorised into themes of student description of response and student noted influence on practice. In addition, the students' response to a negative experience was given allotted a theme student rationalization of experience. Conclusion: Students described a range of powerful learning experiences in the hidden and informal curriculum of an obstetrics and gynaecology term. Student responses to their experience may help inform planning strategies for increasing student skills in dealing with poor learning encounters in the unplanned curriculum.