In the medical school, there exists a unique group of instructors who, in their own distinctive ways, impart knowledge and experience to medical students. They provide students with the opportunity to confront the reality of the human body, allowing them to face death directly. Through their genuine and impactful teachings, these instructors play a crucial role in medical education. We commonly refer to them as Silent Mentors.

     The entire process of the anatomy lab is a crucial aspect of medical humanities in education, known as the 'hidden curriculum.' Silent mentors, marked by various surgical scars, silently endure each practice session. This allows medical students to learn from their mistakes, reducing the likelihood of errors when dealing with real patients. The silent mentors contribute significantly to the cultivation of physicians. Through the endpoint of their lives, they open the most critical starting point of medical education. Using their bodies, they impart invaluable lessons to medical students, illuminating the path of medical education with the radiance of life. Simultaneously, they convey the emotional aspects of life education.

     Through the dedication of silent mentors, students not only learn anatomical knowledge but also receive education on life. Medical students, through home visits and biographical introductions, get to know the life stories of silent mentors and understand the profound and weighty trust placed in them by the mentors' families. The initial experience of receiving education from silent mentors determines a medical student's attitude towards patients in the future. Silent mentors create compassionate physicians, inspiring students to respect life from within. The only way to reciprocate this profound influence is by dedicating themselves to becoming physicians who care for society, serve in underserved areas, and possess the qualities of being "Erudite, Inquisitive, Deliberative, Discerning, Persistent," all while serving as Publicly Funded Physician.

In September 2022, the medical students from NSYSU proceeded to Tzu Chi University in Hualien for the silent mentor initiation ceremony and anatomical experiments.

     In March 2023, the medical students from NSYSU visited Tzu Chi University in Hualien to participate in the silent mentor farewell and memorial ceremony. Apart from gaining an understanding of the actual human anatomy through silent mentors, students learned about the background stories of these mentors. The entire process, from embalming and dressing to the farewell and memorial, provided students with a comprehensive humanistic education.

     At present, our medical school has collaborated with Kaohsiung Medical University for gross anatomy teaching, with two anatomical instructors involved. As part of the curriculum, students will meet and interview the family members of the anatomical instructors to understand their life stories. Students are responsible for creating textual and video documentation. In September 2023, the our medical students went to Kaohsiung Medical University for the silent mentor initiation ceremony and anatomical experiments. In January 2024, the program also participated in the silent mentor farewell and memorial ceremony at Kaohsiung Medical University.

     We have signed a cooperation agreement with Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to establish an anatomy center, expected to be completed in July next year. Currently, three Silent Mentors have been recruited.