Empathy as a Determining Factor for Nursing Career Selection

Abstract

The ability to empathize with others is a highly desirable characteristic for the delivery of quality care by nurses. Little research is available that explores the empathy characteristics of students who are attracted to nursing. The purpose of this study is to explore whether empathizing and systemizing characteristics are important factors underlying students' self-selection into and continuing success in nursing programs and whether the importance of these characteristics tends to differ for men and women who choose nursing as a career. A descriptive correlative design was used for this study of 1,872 undergraduates enrolled in a variety of majors, including nursing, at a large midwestern U.S. research university. Findings supported that nursing students had significantly higher empathy characteristics than students in other disciplines.