McQuagge 1

Madison McQuagge

Dr. Sharity Nelson

English 1301-102

16 November 2023

Rhetorical Analysis of a Peer Reviewed Article About Medical Students Empathy

“Influences on Students’ Empathy in Medical Education: An Exploratory Interview

Study with Medical Students in Their Third and Last Year” by N J Pohontsch, et al. is a research

article published in 2018 by BMC Medical Education. This article explores whether or not

students' empathy evolves throughout their medical career and they conduct a study on medical

students using an interview process. In the article, Pohontsch et al. conclude that medical

student’s empathy does decline over the course of their medical education and “repeated formal

evaluations” throughout their medical education can help prevent the decline (237). Pohontsch et

al. has an effective article in supporting its argument because they use logical and credible tables

that show the credibility in research by outlining their experiment clearly, using the credibility of

their interviewers, and evokes sympathy for medical students with a neutral tone.

First of all, Pohontsch et al. establishes their credibility in their article by inserting logical

tables. The table shows the readers that there were different factors such as age, gender, and

medical experience put into the interview. The table is able to gain the readers’ trust because it

creates an easy way for the audience to analyze the results. By summarizing the evidence and

gathering all the interview variables on the tables, trust is built between the reader and the

authors because they get to analyze the descriptive tables as they read through the article.

Pohontsch et al. presented Table 2 based on the interview variables (234). The table is inserted to

convey the “interviewee characteristics'' as a visual aid for the readers to depict why the
 McQuagge 2

interviewees were chosen based on their traits (234). Table 2 is split into two different halves

which consists of one half with interview group A and the other half with interview group B.

Each group had 12 interviewees which included 6 females and 6 males. However, Group A were

all in between the ages of 21 and 29 with 6 semesters of school. Group B were in between the

ages of 24 and 43 with 13 semesters of medical school. Pohontsch et al. inserted tables in the

journal to establish the credibility of the interview. The table is horizontal with Group A on the

top, and Group B is on the bottom. Pohontsch et al. states in the article, “Some of the

abovementioned studies show a decline in students’ empathy during their medical education”

(233). Therefore, the use of students from different ages is important to the interview research

because medical students can face a downslope of empathy for their patients as they extend their

medical education. According to Pohontsch, et al., “Gender is also known to influence empathy.

Therefore we aimed to interview female and male students from their 6th semester and those in

their final year to maximize variations in the students’ accounts on curricular influences on

empathy”(233). Since gender is familiar with changing factors of peoples empathy, gender is a

huge factor in this research. For these reasons, the table is inserted to appeal to the reader's logic.

Pohontsch brilliantly placed this chart to claim his credibility by demonstrating his interviewing

variables, therefore the audience should trust these interviews and results.

Next, Pohontsch uses ethos to claim credibility by claiming the credibility of the

constructors of research. For example, Pohontsch, et al. states whenever the interviewer was a

“trained psychologist and post doctorate researcher” who had previous participation with

interviews (235). In the article, Pohontsch et al. lists the education of the interviewers to gain the

trust of the readers. The authors use many different interviewers with their own impressive

educations and resumes. Not only is Pohontsch trying to impress his readers, he got some of the
 McQuagge 3

best people to help him with this experiment. The interviewers are all outstanding in the medical

field, so they are trustworthy for their findings throughout these interviews. Pohontsch et al. is

establishing his credibility by listing all of the interviewers' education and qualifications;

therefore, he makes them seem reliable. So, whenever the readers see the results they will most

likely trust the findings and conclusion of the experiment.

Lastly, Pohontsch uses pathos by using the medical students' working conditions to gain

sympathy from the audience. The “poor working conditions”of young medical students, “the

excessive expectations” both add up at the end of their education to decrease medical students'

empathy (236). As Pohontsch et al. is trying to gain sympathy from the audience, he uses the

interviewees’ sad background as a way to get the readers' trust. By making the audience feel bad

for the interviewees, he declares his credibility because he provokes the readers pity. For

example, if a medical student with a difficult background has more sympathy for patients than a

medical student with a normal background, out of pity the readers will trust that information.

All in all, Pohontsch et al. article is successful in supporting his argument because he

establishes his credibility by using logos by inserting tables and graphs, ethos by claiming the

credibility of the conductors of the research, and pathos by using the medical students' working

conditions to gain sympathy from the audience. After reviewing the “longitudinal studies”

Pohontsch et al. were able to determine that the decline of “empathy throughout medical

education and students suffering from burn-out symptoms show lower empathy scores(232).”

Therefore, the results of this research is that students who have spent a good amount of time in

college have decreased empathy for their patients. The interview was “undetermined” whether

gender affects the students empathy (237). However, medical students who are mentally

exhausted and no longer have motivation for school have declined empathy scores. After reading
 McQuagge 4

the peer reviewed journal, the rhetorical situations in Pohontsch’s research are important because

he wants his audience’s trust. With the knowledge of the rhetorical situations, readers should

read the article and understand why he wants the trust of the readers and what information he is

trying to spread.
 McQuagge 5

Work Cited

Pohontsch, N J, et al. “Influences on Students’ Empathy in MedicalEducation: An

Exploratory Interview Study with Medical Students in Their Third and Last

Year.” BMC Medical Education, vol. 18, no. 1, 2018, pp. 231–239. Academic

Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1335-7.