AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/empathy-sympathy
Empathy vs sympathy
Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is understanding how things look and feel from their side.
Summary
- Sympathy keeps a distance. Empathy involves imagining yourself in the other person's position.
- Empathy has to be shown. Naming what the patient seems to feel, and checking you have it right, is one way.
- Compassion adds the wish to help.
- Doctors need empathy without being overwhelmed by it, or they burn out.
Interview questions
- What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?
- How would you show empathy to a patient who has just been given bad news?
- Can a doctor care too much?
Practise answering these with a mentor
Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.
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More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.