The Empathy Tank as a revised model for fostering empathy in medical education

Abstract

Empathy has been difficult to sustain and foster in medical training. Based on empirical evidence and intuitive human experience, this paper proposes that empathy can be re-conceptualized as a dynamic reservoir, referred to as an “empathy tank.” Physicians and learners who have personally experienced or received much empathy will naturally have a stronger tendency and greater capacity for empathy than others who have experienced little. These instances of empathy that fill the “empathy tank” can take the form of personal experiences, re-experiencing memories, and vicarious experiences. As this reservoir is filled, the empathy therein can more readily be poured out to others. Thus, all trainees should be educated to recognize first and foremost their personal need for empathy that they share with patients and subsequently seek encounters that highlight these empathic experiences. Three practical implications for educational interventions are discussed: (1) Learners and preceptors should recognize instances in training of perceived inadequacy as opportunities to provide empathy, (2) Interventions should target foundational rather than secondary issues in empathy, and (3) Interventions should enable empathy in learners to be self-sustaining.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dr. Bobby Yu for comments to this manuscript.

Disclosure statment

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributors

Lester Liao, MD, MTS, is a pediatric resident at the University of Alberta and is the resident lead for the Arts and Humanities in Health and Medicine Program.

Edwin Cheng, MD, is a radiology resident at the University of Alberta.