Effect of summer short-term clinical practice teaching on empathy ability in rehabilitation therapy students
HU Long
YU Hang
Abstract：Objective To explore an centralized clinical practice teaching model delivered via a summer short-term semester,and to examine its effectiveness on empathy and communication efficacy among undergraduate students majoring in re-habilitation therapy through a mixed-methods design.
Methods From June to July,2025,forty second-year rehabilitation therapy undergraduates from Nanchang Medical Col-lege participated in a one-week immersive clinical practice during the summer short-term semester.An action re-search framework integrating a one-group pre-post experimental design and qualitative research methods were adopted.Quantitative data were collected using the Chinese-Adapted Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical Stu-dent Version(JSE-HP)to assess changes in empathy.Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured fo-cus group interviews and structured reflective journals to investigate students'experiences and transformations in empathic cognition,emotional integration and professional identity.
Results After the teaching intervention,students demonstrated significant improvements in the total score of JSE-HP and all subdimensions(perspective taking,compassionate care and standing in the patient's shoes)(t<-3.69,P<0.01).Qualitative analysis yielded three core themes:reconstruction of clinical reasoning paradigms,emotional-cognitive integration and elevation of professional identity.
Conclusion Summer short-term semester clinical practice model,structured around"clinical immersion,narrative reflec-tion,interprofessional collaboration and formative assessment",effectively facilitates embodied cultivation of empathy.This model not only bridges the gap between theory and clinical practice,but also serves as an educa-tional catalyst for students'transformation from technical performers to humanistic caregivers.It aligns with the core concepts of the World Health Organization rehabilitation competency framework,offering a replicable and scalable approach to advancing systematic reform in medical humanities education.
Keywords：rehabilitation therapyempathypractical teachingsummer short-term semestermedical humanities educationrehabilitation competency framework
Publication Date：2026-01-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-02-04(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 117-124 )