Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Can Compassion be Taught? Let’s Ask Our Students

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of General Internal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Medical educators act on the belief that students benefit from formal and informal educational experiences that foster virtues such as compassion, altruism, and respect for patients.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to examine fourth year medical students’ perspectives on how, where, and by whom they believe the virtues associated with good physicianhood have been taught to them.

Design

Fourth year students were assigned a two- to three-page essay that asked them to reflect on how their medical education had “fostered and hindered” their conceptions of compassion, altruism, and respect for patients.

Participants

All 112 students completed this assignment, and 52 (46%) gave us permission to use their essays for this study.

Approach

An inductive, qualitative approach was used to develop themes derived from students’ essays.

Results

Students’ thoughts were organized around the idea of influences in three areas to which they consistently referred. Foundational influences included parents and “formative years,” religious faith, and other experiences preceding medical school. Preclinical education influences comprised formal classroom experiences (both positive and negative effects). Clinical education influences included role modeling (both positive and negative) and the clinical environment (notable for emphasis on efficiency and conflicting cues). Students’ essays drew most heavily on the effects of role modeling.

Discussion

Medical students arrive at our doors as thoughtful, compassionate people. Positive role models and activities to promote critical self-reflection may help nurture these attitudes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pence GE. Can compassion be taught? J Med Ethics. 1983;9(4):189–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Fox R. Training in caring competence. In: Hendrie HC, Lloyd C, eds. Educating Competent and Humane Physicians. Bloomington: Indiana University Press; 1990:199–216.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Coulehan J. Today’s professionalism: engaging the mind but not the heart. Acad Med. 2005;80:892–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Hafferty F, Franks R. The hidden curriculum, ethics teaching, and the structure of medical education. Acad Med. 1994;69:861–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kenny NP, Mann KV, MacLeod H. Role modeling in physicians’ professional formation: reconsidering an essential but untapped educational strategy. Acad Med. 2003;78:1203–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Paice E, Heard S, Moss F. How important are role models in making good doctors? Brit Med J. 2002;325(7366):707–10. (available at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/325/7366/707. Accessed June 3, 2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Shuval JT, Adler I. The role of models in professional socialization. Soc Sci Med. 1980;14A:5–14.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Wright S, Wong A, Newill C. The impact of role models on medical students. J Gen Intern Med. 1997;12:53–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Reuler JB, Nardone DA. Role modeling in medical education. West J Med. 1994;160:335–7.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Beaudoin C, Maheux B, Côté L, et al. Clinical teachers as humanistic caregivers and educators: perceptions of senior clerks and second-year residents. CMAJ. 1998;159(7)(available at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1232732&blobtype=pdf. Accessed June 30, 2006).

  11. Benbassat J, Baumal R. What is empathy, and how can it be promoted during clinical clerkships? Acad Med. 2004;79:832–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Maheux B, Beaudoin C, Berkson L, et al. Medical faculty as humanistic physicians and teachers: the perceptions of students at innovative and traditional medical schools. Med Educ. 2000;34:630–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Glick S. The empathic physician: nature and nurture. In: Spiro H, McCrea Curnen MG, Peschel E, St. James D, eds. Empathy and the Practice of Medicine. New Haven: Yale University School of Medicine; 1996:85–102.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gauthier CC. Teaching the virtues: justifications and recommendations. Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 1997;6:339–46.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Coulehan J, Williams P. Vanquishing virtue: the impact of medical education. Acad Med. 2001;76:598–605.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Charon R, Montello M. Stories Matter: the Role of Narrative in Medical Ethics. New York: Routledge; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Pellegrino E, Thomasma DC. The Virtues in Medical Practice. New York: Oxford University Press; 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  18. DiCicco-Bloom B, Crabtree BF. The qualitative research interview. Med Educ. 2006;40:314–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Coulehan J, Belling C, Williams PC, McCrary SV, Vetrano M. Human contexts: medicine in society at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Acad Med. 2003;78:987–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Jones AH, Carson R. Medical humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Acad Med. 2003;78:1006–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Montgomery K, Chambers T, Reifler DR. Humanities education at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Acad Med. 2003;78:958–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Hawkins AH, Ballard JO, Hufford DJ. Medical humanities at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. Acad Med. 2003;78:1001–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kopelman LM. Values and virtues: how should they be taught? Acad Med. 1999;74:1307–10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Shapiro J. How do physicians teach empathy in the primary care setting? Acad Med. 2002;77:323–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Branch WT. Supporting the moral development of medical students. J Gen Intern Med. 2000;15:503–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Konrad T, Williams ES, Linzer M, et al. Measuring physician job satisfaction in a changing workplace and a challenging environment. Med Care. 1999;37:1174–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Williams ES, Skinner AC. Outcomes of physician job satisfaction: a narrative review. Health Care Manage Rev. 2003;28:119–39.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Merritt, Hawkins & Associates. 2004 survey of physicians 50–65 years old. Summary report. Available at: http://www.merritthawkins.com/pdf/2004_physician50_survey.pdf. Accessed August 9, 2007.

  29. West CP, Huschka MM, Novotny PJ, et al. Association of perceived medical errors with resident distress and empathy: a prospective longitudinal study. JAMA. 2006;296:1071–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Bruce SM, Conaglen HM, Conaglen JV. Burnout in physicians: a case for peer-support. Intern Med J. 2005;35:272–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Reisman AB. Outing the hidden curriculum. Hastings Cent Report July–August 2006 9–9(1).

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to members of NEOUCOM’s Class of 2006 who allowed us to use their thoughtful essays.

Conflict of Interest

This research was not funded.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NEOUCOM, Rootstown, OH, USA

    Delese Wear PhD

  2. Office of Medical Education, Summa Health System, Akron, OH, USA

    Joseph Zarconi MD

Authors
  1. Delese Wear PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joseph Zarconi MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Delese Wear PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wear, D., Zarconi, J. Can Compassion be Taught? Let’s Ask Our Students. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 948–953 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0501-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0501-0

KEY WORDS

Search

Navigation