Relationship between medical student service and empathy

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Empathy
• Student Professionalism

Background:

• Service activities are thought to improve medical student professionalism and empathy.
• No prior studies have quantitatively assessed the relationship between medical student empathy and service engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between medical student participation in service activities and their empathy levels.
• To determine if service engagement influences empathy development during medical school.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to medical students from four graduating classes (2007-2010) at the time of graduation.
• The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version was used to measure empathy.
• Empathy scores were also collected at orientation for two classes to assess changes over time.
• Data analysis involved the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, including means comparison tests.

Main Results:

• Graduating students who participated in service activities exhibited significantly higher mean empathy scores (115.18) compared to those with no service (107.97, P < .001).
• At orientation, students who engaged in service showed higher empathy scores, while those without service had lower scores.

Conclusions:

• A significant positive relationship exists between medical student empathy and participation in service activities during medical school.
• These findings may inform medical school admissions committees regarding the selection of candidates who are likely to develop strong empathetic qualities.