Hierarchy and Oppression in Medical School: Perception of Initial Grade Academics and its Repercussion on Professional Identity Formation

Hierarchy and oppression in medical schools derive from the internalization of the hidden curriculum and are influential in ―professional acculturation‖. This study aimed to foster student adherence to spaces for academic discussion, empowering the academic community about the elements that corroborate the dissemination of respect, consideration, and appreciation, aiming at coexisting and analyzing the existing scenario and the students' perceptions of the presence of hierarchy and oppression in university relations. An image and poetry contest with the thematic approach ―The Medical Student Code of Ethics: Oppression and Hierarchy in the Academic Environment‖ was held in a mentoring & learning web, with the participation of 124 medical students from the 3 first grades. The findings demonstrate that the representations of hierarchy and oppression characterized by the perpetuation of the hidden curriculum during, and after graduation, are numerically more expressive; showing elements of hierarchy and oppression among students, in the learning process, in student institutions, and between students and teachers, with emphasis on the relationship among the students due to the vertical and violent conjuncture that allows such relations manifest as hazing and the oppressive presence of ―intimidating environments‖, among others. This perpetuation of the hidden curriculum is extremely harmful to the formation of the professional identity and therefore compromises the development and strengthening of professionalism