Nurturing Empathy

Building bonds between nurses and patients improves outcomes for all

I have frequently asked students what motivated them toward a career in nursing. Most commonly, they tell stories of loved ones who fell ill and whose nursing care made an impression. Or they have had their own experiences with caregiving. I think these are all stories that reflect the human transformation that happens when one genuinely explores what that other person — parent, sibling, child or even stranger — experiences. When nurses or other healthcare providers put themselves in someone else’s shoes, something deep and moving occurs. Sometimes this learning comes in a burst of understanding, or it can creep up on you while you reflect on a busy day. The transformation that occurs while seeking to understand the experiences of another is empathy.

The idea that empathy can be learned may run counter to what some believe. Because empathy is an active attribute, it can be sought through education and training.

“Empathy is not just about feeling what a patient feels; it is about honoring their humanity, their voice and their dignity even in the face of family conflict and emotional pain.”

Lori Thuente, PhD, RN, director of the RFU College of Nursing’s Dr. Scholl Foundation Empathy Lab, says that when students and providers engage in experiences that provide them with patients’ and families’ human responses to their conditions, we behave differently, connect differently and treat differently with a greater commitment to engaging patients in their care. As an RFU student reflected after an end-of-life empathy simulation: “Empathy is not just about feeling what a patient feels; it is about honoring their humanity, their voice and their dignity even in the face of family conflict and emotional pain.”

Experts have described an “empathy continuum.” When healthcare providers engage in intentional, thoughtful and purposeful experiences, they move through three stages: perceiving, processing and responding. In addition to nurses gaining resilience, meaning and purpose through empathy, research shows that patients experience tangible benefits, as well. They are more satisfied with their care; they adhere to treatment recommendations; and they even experience physiologic benefits, such as improved cellular immunity.

Empathy provides nurses with the opportunity to connect to their humanness, to go beyond the clinical data and reach their patients in ways that aren’t possible without it. This connection is one of the most profound and important ways we nurse.