Table 1.

Classes, categories, and major concepts related to the role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics

Class	Categories	Concepts
Role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics in the medical students	Role of modeling in the formation of professional ethics	Emulating the doctors outside the hospital, emulating the teachers, learning professional ethics due to improper behavior of other doctors, effect of classmates on observing professional ethics, observability of professional ethics (it is taught through behavior), family as the main factor and guarantee of professional ethics, learning professional ethics from the relatives, learning professional ethics from the society and family (something out of formal curriculum), teaching medical ethics by a person who is an agent, concurrency of words and action in teaching professional ethics, presenting professional ethics by popular and well-known teachers
	Role of education in the formation of professional ethics	Learning professional ethics in the classroom, effect of experience on professional ethics (self-control), learning medical ethics from the residents, role of direct education in the promotion of professional ethics, concurrent effect of ethics and knowledge, role of preaching in professional ethics, effect of educational conditions and university on the formation of professional ethics, efficacy of teaching ethical content with scientific support, efficacy of teaching ethical content with experimental support, efficacy of the recommendations of teachers responsible for ethical values in role-playing, efficacy of teaching professional ethics via conference and workshop, creating conditions for observing patients with acute conditions (physical, economic, etc.), reinforcing learning via on-the-job training, guiding the students toward motivation and goals to guarantee ethics, caring for the students to develop professional ethics
	Role of environmental factors	Effect of environment on professional ethics, effect of authorities’ expectations on observing professional ethics, effect of coercion on observing professional ethics, effect of culture on professional ethics, effect of atmosphere on professional ethics, social approval as a factor for observing professional ethics, role of organizational factors in professional ethics, role of law and regulations in professional ethics, role of ethnic biases in professional ethics, effect of culture on professional ethics, interactive effect of behavior in the wards
	Role of personal and inherent attributes	Effect of religious beliefs, sense of commitment to the profession and patients, belief in the pure nature of human and observing all ethical values, naturalness of professional ethics, naturalness of the sense of philanthropy, role of family origin in commitment to professional ethics, effect of human will on the modification of professional ethics, maintaining a doctor’s dignity to guarantee professional ethics, nonlimitation of ethical commitment to religious beliefs