Student voices in Readers’ Theater: Exploring communication in the hidden curriculum

ObjectiveDuring the clerkship years, students often discover a misalignment between formal preclinical communication skills teaching and the actual practices of housestaff and attending role models. We developed a workshop for medical educators to identify how the hidden curriculum models (or fails to model) effective communication skills.Workshop designUsing Readers’ Theater, participants enacted and then discussed a scenario designed to trigger reflection. The script was adapted from an in-depth student narrative describing her team's use of a derogatory term to label a patient. The student must decide whether and how to respond.Workshop outcomesParticipants discussed potential responses to breaches of professionalism medical hierarchy, ethical conflict centered on conforming pressure, “holding ambivalence”, and gender inequality in medicine. A number of communication options for the student were considered, and role-played.ConclusionThe use of student narratives in medical education helps learners better understand the content and nuance of the hidden curriculum. Readers’ Theater is a powerful tool to actively invite learners to step into the shoes of trainees in order to glean additional perspectives. Engaging educators in the task of collaborative solution building using this format can help improve learning environments.