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Date: Tuesday, January 1st, 2013

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Comparing Empathy Levels in Students at the Beginning and End of a Nursing Program.

Lovan, Sherry R. ; Wilson, Maribeth

Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Instructor, School of Nursing, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

International Journal for Human Caring (INT J HUM CARING), 2012; 16(3): 28-33 (37 ref)

Researchers of a mid-size regional university in the United States used a survey to compare and measure the empathy levels of first semester baccalaureate undergraduate nursing students with students at the end of the same nursing program using the Jefferson Scale of empathy (nursing Student Version). They found nursing students graduating at the end of their baccalaureate undergraduate nursing program do not have significantly different empathy levels when compared to nursing students at the beginning of the program. Implications for nursing educators include incorporating teaching strategies to improve nurses' empathy.