THE EMPATHIC ATTITUDE AMONG NURSING STUDENTS: USING RECENT NEUROSCIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEFINE LEARNING PATHWAYS FOR EMOTIONAL WORK

Abstract

Nursing work implies in its very nature emotional work. Despite the fact that this evidence is supported by numerous

studies disseminated in the scientific community since the 90s of the last century, to date, the degree course for the
health professions are still lacking in specific pathways aimed at reinforcing the capacity to functionally express an
empathic attitude; this attitude, moreover, according to recent studies in the field of social psychology and neuroscience, appears to be an object of potential modeling through specific educational and training experiences. This
article, after an interdisciplinary review, aims to present two examples of possible learning paths: the first, aimed at
helping students reinforce their own emotional self-awareness in order to prevent emotional contagion; the second,
oriented to allowing students to become aware of and manage the cognitive biases intrinsic in the regulatory mechanisms of the empathic response that are sometimes able to paralyze the student, as well as the professionals, and
prevent them from assisting, in order to defend themselves, an experience not so unlikely in this time overwhelmed
by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.