Reconciling the Formal and Hidden Curricula in General Practice Training

This reflective letter explores the relationship between the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum (HC) in UK general practice (GP) training. Drawing on personal experience, it highlights a perceived disconnect between curriculum content and the realities of day-to-day GP practice. While trainees acquire a broad range of knowledge, some learning feels only indirectly relevant to independent practice. The HC - comprising implicit values, behaviours and cultural norms - emerges as a powerful influence on professional identity formation. Observed features include perceived underappreciation of general practice, narratives of unsustainable workload, and role modelling of burnout. Tensions between policy and practice, particularly around digital innovation, further reinforce this gap. This divergence risks positioning the formal curriculum as aspirational and the HC as reality. Greater recognition of the HC within curriculum reform may help align training with clinical practice. Making its influence explicit could support more constructive learning and professional development in GP training.