摘要：Purpose:This study is aimed at identifying the relationships between medical school students’ academic burnout,empathy,and calling,and determining whether their calling has a mediating effect on the relationship between academic burnout and empathy. Methods:A mixed method study was conducted. One hundred twenty-seven medical students completed a survey. Scales measuring academic burnout,medical students’ empathy,and calling were utilized. For statistical analysis,correlation analysis, descriptive statistics analysis,and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. For qualitative approach,eight medical students participated in a focus group interview. Results:The study found that empathy has a statistically significant,negative correlation with academic burnout,while having a significant,positive correlation with calling. Sense of calling proved to be an effective mediator of the relationship between academic burnout and empathy. Conclusion:This result demonstrates that calling is a key variable that mediates the relationship between medical students’ academic burnout and empathy. As such,this study provides baseline data for an education that could improve medical students’ empathy skills.
