In medical college, everyone talks about lectures, exams, clinics, and case sheets. But there’s another layer to what we’re learning one that no one formally teaches.
It’s called the hidden curriculum. And once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.
It’s the way seniors treat interns.
It’s how some departments talk down to nurses while others value them.
It’s how patients with money are handled differently from those without.
It’s how your batchmate learns to smile in front of the professor but roll their eyes when they leave.
This hidden curriculum teaches you things that aren’t in the MBBS books
how to survive
how to get things done
how to adapt
how to pick your battles
But here’s the thing.
It also shapes your ethics.
It affects how you treat people when no one’s watching.
It decides what kind of doctor you slowly become.
Some students pick up cynicism. Others pick up empathy.
Some become efficient but cold. Others become kind but tired.
You don’t always get to choose what you see, but you do get to choose what you absorb.
So, here’s the quiet advice that no one gives
Learn the medicine but also learn what you’re becoming.
Because ten years from now, patients won’t remember your ranks.
They’ll remember how you made them feel.