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Author Biographical Information

Sara Tamsukhin, PhD, RDN, Assistant Professor in Health Professions Education, A.T. Still University Youn Seon Lim, PhD, Assistant Professor, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research Methodologies, Educational Studies, University of Cincinnati

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to learn about undergraduate nutrition and dietetics students’ empathy scores. The study was a descriptive quantitative design with a web-based, cross-sectional survey. Participants were undergraduate nutrition and dietetics students from two universities who completed a survey with demographic questions, clinical experience questions, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Health Professions Student version (JSE-HPS©). Seventy-one nutrition and dietetics students completed the survey. Most respondents were female, white, and non-Hispanic. The mean total empathy score was 114.69 (SD=11.09) with a range of 81 to 137. Welch’s t-test did not show significant differences by gender, ethnicity, university, or clinical experiences. Kruskal-Wallis test did not show significant differences by year in program, age, or income. Stepwise regression indicated gender as the only potential predictor. Empathy is integral to patient-centered care. This study provided information about the total empathy scores of nutrition and dietetics students in the United States.

DOI

10.26890/enux6700

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