Empathy predicting career choice in future physicians

Background: Empathy is an integral part of a quality doctor-patient relationship and one of the basic conditions for a quality patient care. Aim: This study addresses the differences in empathy in the context of career decision making by future physicians. Materials and methods: A survey was administered to 363 medical students selected by a random cluster sampling. They answered questions regarding their socio-demographic data, personal or close family members' medical history, and future career choice. A 16-item Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) was administered to evaluate their empathy. Results: The results showed that high levels of empathy were related to the choice of people-oriented vs. technology-oriented medical disciplines as a future career, even when controlled for female gender and education. Conclusion: Empathy is a salient factor in medical education and professional orientation, principally connected to some medical disciplines and essential to be taken into account in the early phases of future physicians' careers.