The Meaning of Empathy in the Context of Clinical Nursing Practice Among Senior Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Abstract

Empathy is a vital element in the formation of meaningful and trusting relationships between nurses and patients. Studies indicate that empathetic providers promote both increased patient satisfaction and better health outcomes for patients. Given the significance of empathy, what stood out is the gap in knowledge regarding the meaning of empathy from the perspective of senior baccalaureate nursing students just prior to entering the health care context as registered nurses. The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of empathy, in the context of clinical nursing practice from the perspective of senior baccalaureate nursing students. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used in the research analysis. The key research questions were: What is the meaning of empathy in the context of clinical nursing practice among senior baccalaureate students? How does clinical nursing practice shape and nurture empathy for senior baccalaureate nursing students? The researcher anticipates this study to be the first, which delineates the meaning of empathy in the context of clinical nursing practice among senior baccalaureate nursing students. Three essential themes surfaced during analysis, discovering every patient is a human person, empathy helps patients feel visible, heard and understood, and empathy breaks through bias towards patients. The results also suggest that clinical nursing practice among undergraduate nursing students shapes and nurtures empathy.