- Background
Recent research shows that nursing students are emerging from nursing school with lower levels of empathy than when they entered nursing school (Ward, Cody, Schaal, and Hojat, 2012). Higher levels of empathy are associated with higher quality patient care (Jahanshahi et al., 2017; Pereira, Figueiredo-Braga, and Carvalho, 2016) and lower levels of burnout and stress among nurses (Bourgault et al., 2015; Duarte & Pinto-Gouveia, 2017; Ferri, Guerra, Marcheselli, Cunico, & Di Lorenzo, 2015). Since empathy can be a protective barrier against burnout and stress, fostering empathy among new nurses is crucial for retention rates. The Institute of Medicine released a “Future of Nursing” report, recommending that hospitals develop nurse residency programs to retain new nurses. However, the effectiveness of these programs in maintaining empathy among new graduate nurses is unknown.
- Problem Statement
A concerning study was completed in 2012: student nurses are emerging from nursing school with lower levels of empathy than when they entered nursing school. We propose to examine the levels of nurse empathy at 1, 4, 8, and 10 months in a nurse residency program.
Research question: Do the levels of empathy in new nurse graduates increase as they advance through a yearlong nurse residency program?
- Methods
This study had a quantitative, non-experimental, and cross-sectional design. The sample was comprised of four cohorts of new nurse graduates that were at the one month, four months, eight months, and ten months mark in a yearlong nurse residency program. Each cohort was surveyed once from June through July 2018. The nurse graduates were all actively enrolled in a nurse residency program and were in their first position as a new nurse graduate. The nurse residency program supported new nurse graduates with monthly didactic sessions while the nurses concurrently worked in their home units, ranging from acute care floors in the hospital to ambulatory settings. The setting was a 627 bed level I trauma center and academic hospital in Northern California. The outcome measure was a survey, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), developed by Ward et al. (2009). The JSE is a self-report measure comprised of 20 questions, each with a seven-point Likert scale. The maximum score is 140, while the minimum score is 20. A higher score indicates a more empathetic orientation.
- Preliminary Results
While final data collection and inferential and descriptive statistics are pending, preliminary results suggest that the newest cohort of new nurse graduates have the highest levels of empathy. The next cohort, with three months more experience, have lower levels of empathy. The cohort surveyed with the most experience thus far, eight months, had the lowest levels of empathy.
- Conclusions
Initial data analysis suggests that the longer the new nurse residents are in the new graduate residency program, the lower their levels of empathy. Final data collection is pending, to be completed mid-July 2018. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be performed in late summer of 2018.
- Implications for nursing
Retaining new nurses can be a challenge due to a multitude of factors. Nurse residency programs are evidence based and support new nurses as they transition into the new nurse role. If the initial trends of this study continue, with new nurse graduates having lower levels of empathy the longer they are in a nurse residency program, it may be time to look at how nurse residency programs can focus on fostering empathy.