Teaching Empathy Through Qualitative Research in Dental & Medical Health Promotion Education: A Snapshot

Abstract

Through this article, I endeavour to reflect on decades of experience as an applied philosophical hermeneutic qualitative researcher, engaging participants’ perspectives about living with chronic pain, osteoporosis, cancer as well as communicative approaches to medical/dental education. Having spent over a decade as an educator on the topics of professionalism empathy and ethical behaviours for dentistry students. As a co-instructor for , where whole person care and empathy become invaluable concepts to help develop these characteristics in our students. This observation of the curriculum reveals that these sometimes are referred to as “soft skills” are interspersed within the curriculum rather than interwoven throughout both classroom teaching and clinical experiences. Whereas the scientific/professional skills dentists need to demonstrate dominate the student’s experiences as they move through the curriculum. The question may become, can the two modes of professional dental/medical education co-exist in ways where both are valued and meaningfully integrated together? If so, perhaps how we teach as well as what we teach needs to find an empathic harmony. This article was written with the intention to open-up conversations among educators and students about how to teach empathy through qualitative research.