A Transition Course to Reverse Empathy Decline in Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Empathy in Healthcare
• Student Well-being

Background:

• Medical students experience increased stress and decreased empathy during clinical training.
• Transition courses can mitigate negative changes in medical student empathy.
• Leicester Medical School developed and evaluated a novel transition course.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed transition course for medical students.
• To address the decline in empathy observed during the transition from pre-clinical to clinical training.
• To identify strategies for promoting empathy in medical education.

Main Methods:

• The course incorporated near-peer mentoring, role model training for tutors, student tutorials on identifying role models, and an 'empathy champion' scheme.
• Evaluation methods included satisfaction surveys, interviews, and counting nominated empathy champions.
• Near-peer mentoring involved 24 pairs of students; role model training reached over 500 professionals.

Main Results:

• The near-peer mentoring scheme was positively received, with participants engaging in interviews.
• Role model training significantly increased healthcare professionals' confidence in implementing learning (average 8.4/10).
• A tutorial on identifying role models was highly valued by 93% of student attendees, and 37 empathy champions were nominated.

Conclusions:

• The transition course was well-received and effectively addresses critical issues impacting medical student empathy.
• Educators should consider patient complexity, stressful clinical environments, and role model availability in transition courses.
• Further research is recommended to optimize, expand, and extensively evaluate the course's impact.