Evaluating pharmacy faculty perceptions of empathy in education: A qualitative study

Empathy is critical in building teacher-student relationships. Little research is available evaluating the empathetic capacity of faculty who teach in healthcare professional programs. This study's objectives were to describe how faculty define empathy, describe faculty perspectives on the role of empathy in pharmacy education, and discuss the potential barriers to demonstrating empathy to students.

A qualitative research approach was utilized for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with faculty members randomly selected from an accelerated doctor of pharmacy program. All interviews were transcribed, and an interpretive phenomenological approach was used to describe, code, and analyze the experiences.

Results showed that faculty naturally define empathy more from an emotional aspect rather than a cognitive one. Faculty have a consensus on the role of empathy in education and believe it essential for building relationships with students and fostering positive learning environments. Further, most faculty think that empathy is an innate ability, but that empathy can be developed through life experiences and training. Significant challenges of being empathetic in educational environments are associated with the instructor, learner, and learning itself, including demanding time and energy, establishing boundaries, maintaining standards, and handling challenging students.

Faculty perceptions of empathy in education revealed empathetic teaching plays an essential role in building teacher-student relationships and positively impacting students' learning. Empathy is a critical skill and characteristic for healthcare profession educators to possess. The development of empathy training modules may be helpful to improve faculty's empathy.