A Transition Course to Reverse Empathy Decline in Medical Students

Medical students report rising stress and lowering empathy as they progress from the pre-clinical to the clinical phase of training. Transition courses can attenuate or even reverse this. We developed and evaluated a transition course at Leicester Medical School.

The transition course included: (1) near-peer mentoring with third- and fifth-year medical students; (2) role model training for clinical tutors; (3) a tutorial for third-year students on identifying positive role models and (4) an 'empathy champion' scheme. The first and second components were evaluated with satisfaction surveys and interviews, the third with a satisfaction questionnaire and the fourth by counting nominated empathy champions.

Twenty-four pairs of third- and fifth-year medical students participated in the near-peer scheme, with 18 students participating in interviews. Role model training was delivered to over 500 healthcare professionals; 295 survey respondents reported an average confidence of 8.4 out of 10 in their ability to implement their learning. Ninety-six students attended the tutorial on identifying positive role models; almost all (93%) agreed that it was useful. Thirty-seven empathy champions have been nominated.

Our transition course was well received and addresses complex issues that may contribute to a decline in medical student empathy at a critical training juncture. Educators should ensure that transition courses to promote empathy consider the increasing complexity of patients, stressful culture and lack of positive role models that students encounter upon entering the clinical phase of training. Future research should identify ways to optimise, expand and evaluate the course more extensively.