An analysis of empathy in medical students before and following clinical experience.

The nature and direction of changes in empathy as measured by Hogan's empathy scale was explored over time (1975, 1976, and 1979) for medical students in the class of 1979 at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. Results indicated that empathy scores declined slightly over time, correlated negatively with Medical College Admission Test scores, and were unrelated to academic performance or performance on Part I or Part II examinations of the National Board of Medical Examiners.