Empathy and the Medical Student House Call: The Effect of Clinical Settings on Empathy in Third Year Medical Students

OBJECTIVE: This study measured the effect the experience of house calls might have on third-year medical students. METHODS: Students were surveyed via an anonymous online survey at the start of their geriatrics clerkship, again at the end of their clerkship, and once more three months later. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Student version (JSE) and student attitudes towards the geriatrics population was measured using the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scale (GAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. RESULTS: No changes in empathy were found when comparing students who completed house calls versus those who did not. However, students who trained in office settings were noted to have higher JSE scores at the three-month follow-up survey, students who worked in hospital settings had higher JSE scores at the completion of the clerkship, and student who worked in assisted living facilities had higher GAS scores at the completion of the clerkship. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching students ways to improve empathy can be challenging. The setting in which a student trains may be an area of focus for improving empathy among trainees and should be researched further.