Curing the Curriculum

Who Am I as a Doctor? Professional Identity Formation with SCOPE #CTC7

What actually makes you a doctor? Is it the white coat, the stethoscope, or something deeper? In this episode, we sit down with Margreet Smit and Miranda Trippenzee from SCOPE - the UMCG's expertise centre for personal development - to explore professional identity formation in medical education. We dive into the difference between socialization (fitting in) and subjectification (becoming yourself), and why both matter when you're navigating medical school. Along the way, we discuss why medicine feels a bit like dating, why students are people first and how reflection can help you become the kind of doctor you want to be - without burning out in the process. From stress and performance pressure to curious, healthy professionals: this conversation is about making space for who you are while becoming who you're meant to be.
Check out SCOPE’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@scope-centerofexpertiseper1541/videos
To contact us, get in touch via email: hi[At]curemeded.com & follow us on Instagram @curingthecurriculum

The living mosaic - Role models in MedEd: Isabella Spaans #CTC6

What is a role model and why does this matter in medical education? How do students choose their role models? How can I be a good role model? Together with Dr. Isabella Spaans, we explored these and more questions about a topic which is often mentioned but rarely discussed in depth. From her research which specifically focuses on role models in medical education, and especially the students' perspective, Isabella shares a lot of insights and many catchy comparisons like dating as well as cherries and other foods.
To contact us, get in touch via email: hi[At]curemeded.com & follow us on Instagram @curingthecurriculum

The Art of Saying No: Professional Resistance with Tasha Wyatt #CTC5

How do you speak up when you think the surgeon is making a mistake? What does it mean to resist just to exist in medicine? Why should one steak up against social harm or injustice? In this conversation with Dr. Tasha Wyatt, we explore the idea of professional resistance - how learners can push back against hierarchy, hidden curriculum, and systemic injustice to protect their identity and integrity. Drawing on Wyatt’s influential work, including ‘Those Darn Kids’ and ‘I Have to Resist Simply to Exist’, we discuss how resistance can be both a burden and yet a powerful form of agency. From resistor identity formation to the risks of speaking up, this episode asks what it really means to be “professional” in environments where silence is often safer, yet detrimental.
To contact us, get in touch via email: hi[At]curemeded.com & follow us on Instagram @curingthecurriculum

The Hidden Curriculum - unspoken lessons of med school: Fred Hafferty #CTC4

What is the hidden curriculum of medicine and why don’t we talk about it? Join us and hidden curriculum veteran Professor Fred Hafferty in exploring the informal norms and invisible forces shaping medical training. We talk about students as sheep vs. cats, the possible rise of altruistic zombies, and why the question “Will this be on the exam?” reflects more than it seems. Fred shares bold ideas for a utopian future curriculum - one that values meaning over metrics and co-creation over compliance. It’s a deeper, longer listen that just might change how you see medical education.

Curing reflective zombies in med school: Anne de la Croix #CTC3

Are you familiar with reflective zombies? They follow every reflection step. They write the reports. They check the boxes. But nothing real happens.
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Anne de la Croix, Assistant Professor at Amsterdam UMC and humanities expert, about how reflection in medical education has lost its soul. We unpack the concept of skillification - the reduction of rich, complex human qualities like reflection and empathy into simplistic, assessable behaviours. And we ask what true reflection could look like if we dared to leave space for discomfort, uncertainty when at an impasse (aporia), and real honest learning.
Join us for this powerful plea for letting humans show themselves. For real. And maybe, just maybe… avoiding the next zombie apocalypse.

From McDreamy to Burnout: Dan Shapiro #CTC2

Burnout isn't just about an individual being tired - it's about systems that forget you're human. In this episode of Curing the Curriculum, we talk with Dr. Dan Shapiro: clinical psychologist, burnout researcher, and former consultant for Grey’s Anatomy. From missed meals to midnight lectures, we unpack how medical training sometimes breaks the very people it aims to build. Dan shares what leadership and listening should look like and how the Dutch healthcare system might just be getting things right. Oh - and why pizza nights aren’t enough.
Get in touch via email: hi[At]curemeded.com & follow us on Insta @curingthecurriculum

Let’s talk about medical education #CTC1

We discuss our background and why we started 'Curing the Curriculum'. As international medical students in the Netherlands, we hope to engage in conversations about what medical education is - and what it could be. Please join us on a journey towards more care, more humanity, and a curriculum worth shaping together. Get in touch via email: hi[At]curemeded.com & follow us on Insta @curingthecurriculum