Future Career Choices Research Articles

Effects Of Online Tutoring On Test Scores, Confidence, and Future Career Paths During The Pandemic

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, online learning has rapidly begun to replace in-person learning and demand for online tutoring has grown. The switch to remote learning has also exacerbated learning inequality, as shown by students’ test scores. The paper examines the efficacy of ManhattanACE’s mathematics online tutoring model to provide a template for creating a valuable online tutoring experience.
 To understand the main aspects of online learning and its effects on students’ learning outcomes, an electronic survey was created and sent to the students. The survey contained both Yes/No questions and scaled 1-5 questions. Analysis of the survey responses shows that through a combination of factors such as passionate tutors and a responsive learning environment that feels like a community, online learning can boost both students’ grades in math class and the effectiveness of virtual learning, while fostering students’ confidence in their skills and future career choices. These three outcomes can, in turn, work to minimize educational and resource inequality.

Evaluation of a multischool collaborative COVID-19 vaccination project.

To describe experiences of student nurses and faculty who participated in COVID‐19 vaccine delivery through a multischool collaboration. Cross‐sectional survey. Student nurses and faculty members from five university schools and colleges of nursing who participated in one or more COVID‐19 vaccination or education events in 2021. Surveys were designed for students and faculty to document process and outcome experiences associated with project participation. Surveys were administered through an online survey platform. Overall, 648 students and 68 faculty members participated in the project. The evaluation survey was completed by 115 students (18%) and 58 faculty members (85%). Students valued increasing their clinical skills and reported the experience influenced their perspectives on nursing, fueling their passion and informing future career choices. Students reported that it was personally important to contribute to the vaccination effort. Few students reported challenges in participating in the project. Faculty reported positive experiences including gaining knowledge about public health and their communities, fueling their passion for nursing education, feeling a deeper connection with students, and experiencing personal satisfaction from contributing to the pandemic response. This project resulted in meaningful student learning opportunities, enhanced capacity for the public health emergency response, and strengthened partnerships among nursing programs and between academia and public health community partners.

The clinical learning environment, supervision and future intention to work as a nurse in nursing students: a cross-sectional and descriptive study

BackgroundClinical practice is a core component of nurse education. It is believed that nursing students’ clinical placement experiences can affect their learning outcomes, satisfaction, as well as influence their choice of future career. To examine nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environment and mentoring in hospital where they perform their clinical placement and the connection of these factor with intention to work as a nurse once graduated.MethodsNursing students enrolled in clinical practice at least 6 months in hospitals in China were surveyed between January–March 2021. Percentages, frequencies, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, and regression analysis were used to analyse the data.ResultsOf the five scales in the CLES+T, ‘Leadership style of the ward manager’ scored the highest mean while ‘Pedagogical atmosphere at the ward’ scored the lowest. Nursing students with lower educational level, those supervised by fixed preceptor, and those intent to be a nurse in the future were significantly more satisfied with the CLES+T. Most of the nursing students are intent to work as a nurse in the future. CLES+T total scores and sub-dimensions (Premises of nursing on the ward) have significantly effectiveness on the intention to be a nurse in the future.ConclusionsGiven the significant correlation of between learning environments and nursing students intention to be a nurse in the future, ward managers need to build a good clinical teaching atmosphere and promote opportunities for theoretical and practical connections among students through effective feedback mechanisms, which can enable students to experience a better clinical learning environment and meaningful experiences to build their professional roles and competencies, thus helping to enhance students’ willingness to pursue nursing careers in the future.

The impact of research-oriented collaborative inquiry learning on pre-service teachers' scientific process skills and scientific attitudes

In the past decade, scientific process skills and scientific attitudes are widely regarded as essential factors influencing students’ achievement and their future career choices. Unfortunately, previous literature found that students’ scientific skills and attitudes tend to be unsatisfactory. Thus, cultivating students’ skills and attitudes is seen as a fundamental goal in science education. This research sought to promote scientific process skills and scientific attitudes of pre-service chemistry teachers using REORCILEA (Research-Oriented Collaborative Inquiry Learning). In this quasi-experimental research, a one-group pretest and posttest design was utilized. A total of 50 pre-service teachers (6 males and 44 females) at a medium-sized public university in Indonesia were recruited for this study. In order to gather data, the Scientific Process Skills Observation Checklist (SPSOC) and the Scientific Attitude Survey (SAS) were administered before and after the intervention. The data obtained in this study were analyzed through a paired-samples t-test and Cohen’s d. The results showed a significant increase from pretest to posttest in scientific process skills and scientific attitude scores during treatment, each with a high effect size. It can be summarized that REORCILEA is effective in fostering scientific skills and positive attitudes of pre-service chemistry teachers to a satisfactory level. It is recommended for educators to apply REORCILEA to other college chemistry courses to improve their performance.

Attitudes of Indian Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Students Toward Mental Health and Psychiatry

Background: In India, the number of occupational therapy practitioners currently working in mental health settings is lower than most other specialties. The attitudes of students influence their interest in any field and their desire for working in it. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of Indian undergraduate occupational therapy students toward mental health and psychiatry, and to explore the differences in attitudes across different years of study, gender, resulting from personal experiences, and educational coursework, and to examine if the attitudes influence future career choices. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional survey. Methods: Permission was obtained from heads of institutions of 14 occupational therapy colleges and the survey link was sent. In order to obtain a representative sample, the link was also shared on social groups. The purpose of the study, voluntary participation, and confidentiality were explained on the landing page. The subsequent sections consisted of the demographic questionnaire, the Attitudes toward Psychiatry-30 (ATP-30) Questionnaire, and the Career Preference Questionnaire. A total of 402 responses were obtained within the stipulated period. Statistical analysis was performed, and the odds ratio using logistic regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient were determined. Results: Gender and contact with persons with mental illness were significant predictors of positive ATP. Females are 5.387 times more likely to have positive ATP (odds ratio [OR] = 5.387, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.101–13.814, P = 0.000). Furthermore, those in contact with persons with mental illness are 2.883 times more likely to have positive ATP (OR = 2.883, 95% CI: 1.076–7.724, P = 0.035). Moderately high positive correlations existed between ATP and career preference in psychiatry. Conclusions: Overall, positive attitudes were found. Significant correlations were seen across the domains of the ATP-30 and career preference in psychiatry. Female students are five times more likely to have positive attitudes than male students. Those in contact with persons with mental illness were almost thrice more likely to have positive attitudes than those without any contact.

Future expectations, career choices and related factors among dental students: A cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to determine descriptive characteristics of dental students, to investigate their professional expectations, career decision criteria, and related factors; to examine how (if any) seniority in school affects these. During the period of 2018-2019, all 1-5 grade students (n = 754) of Hacettepe University Dental School were invited to participate and those who accepted had filled under observation a standard questionnaire form of 35 questions (83.4%). In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, chi-square, Student's t-test and ANOVA and Odds ratio methods were used. In this cross-sectional study, 66% of the group were female, age range was 18-30 (mean±SD= 21.2 ± 1.7). The most common reasons for choosing dentistry were "financial benefits", "job security" and "professional status". "Undertake specialist training" (80.2%) was the most common short-term expectation after graduation; two most common long-term expectations were "having a private clinic" (57.9%) and "completing specialization training" (56.0%). The most important factors affecting the post-graduation working plans were work-life balance and economic stability. It is recommended to provide adequate counseling and guidance to students about potential career paths to maximize a balanced and widely accessible oral health service delivery across the country with more motivated dentists. Qualitative research may improve our understanding of how dental education can be improved to fulfill students' expectations from school, and to motivate dental students towards general practitioning in the future.

How do medical students’ experiences inform their opinions of general practice and its potential as a future career choice?

ABSTRACT Recruitment of general practitioners (GPs) in the UK has been suboptimal. There is a wealth of literature exploring recruitment into general practice and opinions of general practice, set in many contexts. This paper aims to synthesise all the elements and extract mechanisms to explain what works, for whom in what circumstances, to create a comprehensive understanding and highlight potential target areas for improvement to improve understanding and fuel interest in general practice careers. A realist review of literature and contemporary data was conducted in line with RAMESES standards. Analysis and synthesis were aided by NVivo. An initial program theory was developed following discussion with expert informers. Sections of text from included literature relating to program theory were extracted and synthesised into a final program theory using a realist logic of analysis in which recurring Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations (CMOCs) were identified. Searches identified 27 relevant documents. Twenty recurring CMOCs were extracted, explaining how student perceptions of General Practice were influenced by placement experiences, comments from hospital doctors, medical school faculty, peers, GPs, student perceptions of lifestyle and the media. The GP placement environment plays an important role in the formation of opinions about the speciality. The impact of social influence varies depending on the student’s desire to belong to a reference group and their level of self-monitoring behaviour. The ‘GP lifestyle’ was judged to be compatible with many students’ needs. This realist review provides recommendations on how curricula can adapt to provide an accurate insight into general practice.

272 Factors Influencing Medical Student Future Career Choice – Why Not Surgery?

Abstract Introduction Decisions made by medical students on future career choice have demonstrated consistency with resulting postgraduate career path. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify factors influencing career choice amongst medical students in Northern Ireland. Method An anonymous voluntary non-monetised survey consisting of binominal, Likert and free text responses was distributed to all medical students registered at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Data was collected over 6 weeks in April-May 2021. Primary outcomes were factors influencing future career choice and the secondary outcomes were the impact of finance and mentorship on ultimate career choice. Local ethical approval was obtained. Results 202 responses were received (Response rate 15%). 67% (n = 135) were female. One third of respondents remained undecided about their future career choice. Respondents were least likely to choose a career in Surgery (33%). Factors positively influencing career choice were academic interest and flexibility in working hours. Negative predictors of career choice were lack of interest in the area, perceived workload, and duration of training schemes. 71% (n = 144) of respondents reported that a subspecialty mentor would positively influence their career choice and two-thirds of respondents reported that financial factors would not influence their career decision. Conclusions Surgery was the least the popular specialty. Mentorship, integrating flexibility in training and enhancing academic interest may create greater traction for prospective trainees to surgery.

275 Undergraduate Career Aspirations in Northern Ireland - a National Qualitative Study

Abstract Introduction Undergraduate career aspirations are accurately translated to chosen career paths. Understanding what influences these decisions has implications for future workforce planning. The aim of this study was to identify future career intentions in Northern Irish Medical Students. Method An anonymous voluntary survey consisting of binominal, Likert and free text responses was distributed to all medical students registered at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Data was collected over 6 weeks in April-May 2021. The primary outcome was future career aspiration and secondary outcome was the reported attrition rate from medicine. Local Ethical approval was obtained. Results 202 responses were received (Response rate 15%). Two thirds (n = 135) were female. One third of respondents remained undecided about their future career choice, with senior students demonstrating greatest certainty in future career choice. Respondents were least likely to choose a career in Surgery (33%). Factors influencing these decisions were a lack of academic interest in the speciality, perceived workload, and the length of the training scheme. 10% of respondents were unsure or unlikely to pursue a career in Medicine after they graduated. Thematic analysis demonstrated, fear of making mistakes, poor work life balance and poor working environments as reasons for leaving medicine. Conclusions Uncertainty over future career intention remains common with surgery the least popular speciality. The rate of potential attrition is concerning which warrants further investigation.

A Qualitative Exploration of the Outcome Expectations in Determining Career Choices of College Students

Choosing a college major is very crucial and challenging at college level because selection of college majors at this stage pave a path way for future career. Pakistan being a developing country; career counseling services are scarce for students. It is needed to explore while making choices about career majors what are the underlying perceptions and factors that students think they can get in terms of outcomes from certain careers. It is an important component in career development so that career guidance and counseling can be provided by considering these factors. Research question for this qualitative study was “What are the underlying outcomes for choosing certain careers that students expect? A sample of eighteen intermediate twelve grade undergraduate college students; nine males and nine female participants taken from public and private sector degree colleges were interviewed to get insight about their future career choices and underlying outcomes from these career choices. Results were analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings indicated that participant reported medical, engineering, teaching, army and business as their intended future career choices. Moreover, after analyzing results through thematic analysis, outcome expectation was emerged as a broader theme categorized into three sub-themes 1) physical outcomes with sub themes of financial stability and job security 2) social outcomes (including social acceptance and service to humanity and 3) self-outcomes with sub theme of significance of work. Findings have potential implications for counselors and educators to have understanding of outcome expectations that may determine the career paths for students. In this way help can be provided to students for reexamining their beliefs and in turn broadening their career horizons. Key words: outcome expectations, college students, career choices

Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intentions: Impact of Culture, Gender, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy on University Students

The main objective of this study is to examine the socio-cultural and individual factors that influence the entrepreneurial intentions among students studying the Public Sector Universities in Sindh Province. In the cultural context, three variables i.e., collectivism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance, one variable in social context i.e., gender-role orientation and two variables in individual context i.e., self-esteem and self-efficacy are used and empirically tested through the SEM model. It was found that all three components of culture have been negatively correlated with entrepreneurial intentions. These results infer that the prevalent family culture in Sindh Province is not supportive of entrepreneurial intention as respondents found strict control of elder family members over their future career choices, depressing and a hurdle in their way to become entrepreneurs. The feminist gender orientation of an individual is found to have a negative effect on the development of entrepreneurial spirit. This stands in support of the dominant notion that masculine gender orientation is required to become a vibrant entrepreneur. Under the masculine approach, an individual prefers to have characteristics like tough, assertive, calculated and pursue material success in life; contrary to the feminist orientation which focuses on being tender, modest and pursuing the relational quality in life. The findings reveal that individuals who carry a high worth for themselves and believe in their abilities to address the challenges of running a business tend to have more entrepreneurial intentions. Lastly, the role of gender as moderator shows that the cultural barriers have a more negative impact on the formation of entrepreneurial intents of female than male students. Based on the findings of this study and informal observations from students during the field, it is recommended that the policymakers should invest in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem, focusing on the provision of entrepreneurial educational infrastructure, building family & culture support structures that can help potential students enhance their self-esteem, self-efficacy and get necessary socio-cultural capital to become successful entrepreneurs.

Motivations and future plans of the final year students in a Chinese dental school

BackgroundUnderstanding dental students’ future career choice and motivation could provide beneficial references for both educators and students, but there were few studies on students in a Chinese dental school. The study aimed to investigate Chinese final year dental students’ the short-term and long-term plans, motivations, and identify the influence of gender on the future plans.MethodsA total of 265 final year dental school students of the School of Stomatology, China Medical University from 2016 through 2020 were invited to complete an anonymous, 27-item questionnaire. Moreover, almost all of questions were in multiple-choice formats. Data were categorized and analysed using chi-square comparative analyses.Results88.3% of respondents decided to pursue a graduate degree after graduating from dental school. Moreover, the single most important reason influencing their plans was “eligible for better jobs” (42.8%). More females than males studied dentistry (222 vs 111), and gender had an influence on the choice of specialty.ConclusionsThis study listed the selection tendency and influencing factors of students in a Chinese dental school for the reference of educators and students. And the results could raise some useful influence and feedback effect on current health and education policy, and on the career development of practicing dentists or dental students.

Career Preference and Factors Influencing Career Choice among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students at University of Khartoum, Sudan.

The pharmacy profession has expanded and adapted to changes in community needs. Although career planning and understanding the determinants of career choice are essential, there remains a lack of studies exploring factors influencing future career plans. This study was conducted to identify career preferences and factors influencing future career choices among undergraduate pharmacy students. A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from randomly selected participants. Out of 220 respondents, 85.9% were females. The average age of the respondents was 21.7 ± 1.5 years. Clinical pharmacy was selected as the most preferred future career domain (30%), followed by academia and research (12%), the pharmaceutical industry (11%), and community pharmacy (10.5). Approximately 20% of participants reported a preference for moving abroad for work. Regarding factors influencing future career domain choice, participants ranked training in the workplace (80%) and curriculum content (70%) as the top faculty-related factors, while interaction with practicing pharmacists (71.8%) and salary (78%) were the major personal-related and job-related factors. This study emphasized the importance of understanding job preferences and the factors influencing career choice, and could be useful in ensuring a future balance between professional domains and meeting society’s evolving expectations.

Exploring the Importance of Career Counseling at Grade-12 Level at a Public Sector School in Sindh, Pakistan

The focus of this study is to get an in-depth understanding of the importance and need for Career Counseling at the Grade 12 level because career counseling at this level helps students in selecting the appropriate study program in line with their future career choice. The study was guided by 5 research questions including; what are the perspectives of grade 12 students about career counseling? To what extent career counseling is provided to grade 12 students at school? What are the benefits of career counseling for grade 12 students? What are the issues related to career counseling for grade 12 students? And how do the issues related to career counseling for grade 12 students be resolved? Purposefully selected research participants of this study were 6 students who were studying at grade 12 level at a semi-public sector school of Sukkur city. A qualitative case study approach has been used, with a semi-structured interview guide for collecting data. Data were analyzed by an open coding strategy and is reported thematically. It is anticipated that this study will help students, teachers, parents, educational institutes, and policymakers to a greater extent. Career counseling is becoming people-oriented and so with the findings of this study, policymakers can make new policies and implement them in the system. Future research can be conducted in different public and private sector schools of Sindh. Research participants from different education systems will provide a deeper analysis of different views and perspectives of students in different settings.

Willingness to care for older people and associated factors in pre-registered student nurses: A multi-country survey study

BackgroundAddressing nursing students' lack of interest in providing care for the aged population is a global challenge for nursing educators. Despite global interest in student nurses' readiness for older people care, almost all the literature has been identified from single countries, predominantly with high income per capita. At present, no study has been conducted to provide evidence-based data related to this topic from a multi-country perspective. ObjectiveThe study's purpose was to examine the willingness to work with older persons and associated factors among student nurses from nine countries (or regions). DesignThis study utilized a correlational and cross-sectional design. SettingsThis was a multi-country survey study conducted in China, Chile, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Greece, the State of Palestine (henceforth Palestine), the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. Participants2250 baccalaureate nursing students were recruited from 10 universities in this study. MethodsThe survey that was used to collect data comprised four parts: socio-demographic data, attitude toward aging, older person care perception, and willingness to work with such group. ResultsRespondents in five regions (including Mainland China, Greece, Hong Kong, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia) stated that older persons were the least favored group for future career choices. In comparison with mainland China, respondents in Chile, India, and the Philippines were significantly more likely to be willing to care for older patients, but those in Egypt and Greece indicated a lower tendency to choose this option. Favorable attitudes toward aging and older person care perception were significantly associated with having the willingness to provide care to gerontologic patients in the future. ConclusionsAlthough attitudes toward aging and older person care perception have long been confirmed as important factors that are linked with willingness in caring for older people, this study adds that location is a more influential factor. Additional research in other countries is needed to advance the knowledge in this important area.

The contribution of execution and workplace interaction to problem-based learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been used in business education for roughly two decades, based on the premise that solving unstructured problems provides a better vehicle for managerial learning than traditional lectures. Despite its popularity, critics argue that PBL still does not deliver a realistic managerial experience to students. While PBL introduces the kind of unstructured problems managers encounter in professional practice, it ignores two other essential aspects of management practice: execution of the solutions in real life and close contact with the intricacies of the work environment. Drawing on the case of a bachelor programme that has been incorporating these three elements (unstructured problems, close organisational interaction and execution) into its curriculum over the course of one decade, this study investigates how these adaptions to the original PBL design contribute to PBL's authenticity as a managerial learning experience. Qualitative data obtained from students, alumni, lecturers and partner companies shows that unstructured problems combined with close organisational interaction and execution allow students to: think more strategically, increase students' confidence, fosters self-efficacy, and offer students a clearer professional identity, orienting future career choices. The implications for PBL theory and practice are discussed.

Medical Students' Awareness and Interest towards Family Medicine at a Private Medical College in Karachi

Background: Family physicians constitute the fundamental core of the health system in many parts of the world. However, medical students' diminishing interest in Family Medicine remains a challenge worldwide. Objective: To assess medical students' awareness of the Family Medicine specialty and their interest towards selecting Family Medicine as a career. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a private medical university in Karachi from January 2021 to June 2021. A total of 333 students from all 5 years of Medicine were given a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing their awareness of Family Medicine, and their interest in it as a future career choice. Results: 91% of students had heard of Family Medicine, 80.8% knew it as a recognized specialty, 91.6% knew family physicians treat individuals of all ages and gender, 88.9% knew family physicians provide comprehensive coordinated care, 82.9% agreed Family Medicine should be taught in the undergraduate curriculum, 95.5% think family physicians can change the healthcare system of Pakistan, and 54.1% have interest in Family Medicine as a future career choice. Among the top three specialty choices, General Surgery ranked first, Emergency Medicine ranked second and Family Medicine ranked third. Conclusion: To attract students to choose a career in Family Medicine, it needs to be an essential part of undergraduate medical education. Career counselling, mentorship and role modelling can help foster interest among students in this field.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION AS A STAGE OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION OF FUTURE PSYCHOLOGISTS

In this article the period of university studying and the professional identity formation have been described, it has been proved that it is fatal in a professional biography of an individual and, in most cases, it is largely connected to the experience of the crisis of a graduate. It has been found that a career choice depends on the outcome of the conflict resolution that determines the path of a person within or outside the obtained speciality. The crisis periods that accompany a student-psychologist while during their university studies have been analyzed in this article. In addition,the seven major conflicts that are inherent to the adolescent student, the transition through which indicates the professional identity formation, have been examined. The study results of internal professional and personal conflicts of future psychologists (time perception, sexual polarization, leadership inclinations, confidence, value system) have been provided. The basic normative crises and the factors that trigger the crisis of professional development at the stage of professional activity have been characterized. In the process of professional development of students some professional identity crises are possible in various aspects of education and in a future career choice. It is noted that the professional identity formation is determined by the level of correspondence to the existing images of an individual about the typical representative of a profession and notions about themselves as a professional. Non-correspondence to these images leads to the internal conflict, a feeling of self-dissatisfaction, reduces their self-esteem and prevents the perception of collective identity in a professional environment. The crisis of educational and professional orientation, the crisis of revision and correction (change) of the career choice, the crisis of the professional development, the crisis of the professional career, the crisis of social and professional self-actualization as well as the crisis of the career loss have been identified among the normative crises of professional identity formation. The classification of the causes that determine the development of professional crises has been presented. The current issue of professional marginalism and its consequences in future careers have been justified.

Knowledge of medical students about neuropathologist role

Background: Neuropathology involves pathological analysis of brain tumors and involvement of molecular mechanisms and requires analysis of substrate in terms of target therapeutic perspective. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of medical students related to the role of neuropathologists in healthcare services. Methods: This study was carried out among 298 medical students enrolled at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, from March to June 2021 to observe their knowledge related to the role of neuropathologists in healthcare services. Results: The results demonstrated a significant difference in terms of knowledge related to brain autopsies by neuropathologists among both genders, as 112 (37.5%) female students were aware of details in comparison to 31 (10.4%) males (p = 0.014). The results related to reading and reporting of nerve biopsies also showed a statistically significant difference in the level of knowledge and awareness between female 166 (55.7%) and male 47 (15.7%) participants (p = 0.009). Considering neuropathology as a future career choice, the majority of female participants 99 (33.2%) agreed to opt for it in comparison to 24 (8%) male students (p = 0.025). Conclusion: The introduction of simulation and didactic methodology training programs addressing the significance of the neuropathologist's role and basics of neuropathology in the medical universities' curricula could improve medical students' concept of neurology and proficiency to raise interest in the field of neurology.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Empathy and its Associated Factors among Medical Students of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore

Background Empathy is fundamentally a desirable quality among doctors and can be developed during medical education. It is a crucial contributing factor of patientndashphysician communication and relationship.Methodology A cross sectional study was undertaken during August - October 2022 to assess the empathy and its associated factors among medical students of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute Bangalore. Using simple random sampling method 180 medical students were selected from first year to fourth year. Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student version JSE-S was used to evaluate empathy.Results A total of 180 undergraduate medical students participated in this study which included 75 male and 105 female students. The estimated overall empathy score of the participants was 95.52plusmn6.32. Highest empathy was observed among first years and a significant fall in empathy by fourth year was noted among students. Female students showed more empathy levels than male students.Conclusion Empathy levels among medical students in our study were low compared to other studies conducted in India. Empathy declined with increasing years of education. Gender and future career choice were important determinants of empathy score. The medical curriculum should give more focus to the promotion of empathy and other humanistic values among undergraduate medical students. This would enable them to serve humanity better in the future.nbsp