Page 38 - ELG2011 Nov Issue 473

RESOURCES . REVIEWS & RESOURCES

Empathy, not sympathy experienced the anxiety of taking their own Legitimise the emotion Tell me what’s upsetting you the most.
child to hospital might say, “I can understand
your anxiety. I recently had to take my child to
A&E with a broken arm. Please let me reassure Explore the emotion Let’s see how we can work through this together.
you that you did the right thing bringing Empathise Most people find this challenging. It’s understandable.
Ros Wright helps trainers preparing candidates for OET Speaking Benjamin in to see us today.” Even if your Offer support I can appreciate this is a difficult time for you.
candidate is not a parent, this is still a
technique they could use on test day. In the
often start OET Speaking sessions with a Empathy - what it is and case of indirect empathy, the above example, contact generally indicates the healthcare pausing is a simple but invaluable technique
quote from the 20 century Canadian what it’s not “I can appreciate how angry this must make you professional is giving the patient their full that helps denote empathy, affording patients
th
physician William Osler: “The good For Goleman (2011), empathy is, ‘the feel,” shows the patient you are with them, attention, and therefore according them the ‘space’ to collect their thoughts and
Iphysician treats the disease; the great capacity to understand the other’s JOHN HAIN / PIXABAY even if you haven’t experienced the exact respect they deserve; a first step in assimilate potentially difficult information.
physician treats the patient who has the predicament and to feel with them but also same situation personally. demonstrating empathy.
disease.” to spontaneously want to take action to help Further to this, positive facial expressions Conclusion
Never is this quotation more pertinent them’. While sympathy is an appropriate and Empathy - an ongoing process help convey warmth and compassion, while The question of whether valuable time is
than when stressing the need for a patient- acceptable acknowledgement of suffering, it Demonstrating empathy requires more than an open posture avoids creating a physical wasted in engaging in empathy has long been
centred approach in healthcare. At the heart doesn’t go quite far enough. just a single statement of expression. It is an barrier with the patient. She cites doctors on cause for debate. Indeed, this may well be the
of a patient centred approach – one that Candidates are usually unaware of the ongoing process of recognising cues and ward rounds who sit rather than stand. They concern of some candidates, especially given
considers the patient as a whole rather than a difference between sympathy and empathy interpreting meaning, exploring the patient’s are often considered more caring than their the time constraints of the OET role play
set of symptoms – is empathy; a skill not easy and how they are expressed in English. When emotion, as well as legitimising feelings and colleagues, even if they use exactly the same (approximately 5 minutes). In response,
to achieve, but one that is key to success in someone dies, we often hear people say, “I’m concerns and providing support. words. however, Anfossi and Numico (2004) point
OET Speaking. The subject of empathy is sorry for your loss.” or “I was really sorry to Legitimising the patient’s concerns, e.g. Finally, Dr Reiss encourages healthcare out that expressing empathy should not take
vast, but I hope to provide some insight for hear about your father”. Candidates reproduce “Most people find this challenging. It’s professionals to ‘hear the whole person,’ not time out from clinical work, rather it should
those new to OET as well as a few pointers to these, not realising that, unless substantiated, understandable,” validates and normalises simply the words they use. Is there a crack in be, ‘embodied in the physician's overall
help develop this all-important skill with your they tend to denote sympathy rather than their emotion. Exploring the emotion with an the voice denoting sadness or a look away to attitude…’ I recently came across the
candidates. empathy. open question, “Tell me what’s upsetting you suggest embarrassment? Both require further embodiment of empathy in the form of Mark,
In a healthcare context, sympathy is a the most,” helps the candidate better exploration and, of course, empathy. a consultant appearing in 24 hours in A&E,
Introducing OET Speaking problem. It can create distance and pity, and understand the patient’s perspective. And in Although in OET Speaking, role-plays are (Channel 4), seen here (below left),
The Occupational English Test (OET) even go so far as to impair the professional’s offering support, the practitioner reinforces audio recorded, the development of non- communicating with 95-year-old Sylvia.
assesses language proficiency in 12 different ability to care for a patient effectively. A the desire to work together as a team. This is verbal skills should not be ignored. Similar to
healthcare professions, from doctors and patient who is pitied feels inferior and further reiterated with use of, ‘we’ e.g. “I can the customer service employee trained to REFERENCES
nurses to podiatrists, speech therapists and disempowered. Empathy, on the other hand, OET, like healthcare itself, requires an appreciate this is a difficult time. Let’s see how smile on the phone, OET candidates will find Anfossi, M. and G. Numico (2004)
vets. OET Speaking consists of two short tries to see the situation from the patient’s understanding of the differences we can work through this together.” their non-verbal communication skills help ‘Empathy in the doctor-patient relationship’,
role-plays, e.g. advising on lifestyle changes, point of view. By empathising, the between empathy and sympathy To develop their usage, asking candidates reinforce the empathetic process. Journal of Clinical Oncology
during which candidates are assessed on both practitioner is trying to understand their to match phrases to the appropriate headings, Golman, D., (2011) The Power of Emotional
their linguistic (including grammatical mindset and emotions without being Silverman (2013) suggests demonstrating generally works well (see table, top right). Empathy – delivering the right Intelligence
expression, lexis and pronunciation) and judgemental. Empathy is about building a empathy is a two-stage process: healthcare This can be followed by an activity message Marsden, AJ., (2014) Empathetic Consultation
their clinical communication skills. Clinical relationship and connecting with the patient. professionals need first to understand and whereby candidates notice the language in Ensuring any well-chosen expressions convey Skills in Undergraduate Medical Education: A
communication skills essentially refer to what appreciate their patient’s situation or how context, preferably in an authentic dialogue the message intended, focus must be given to Qualitative Approach PhD thesis, University of
many in ELT know as ‘soft skills’ and indicate they are feeling, and then, most importantly, between practitioner and patient. the development of appropriate intonation East Anglia Norwich Medical School
a patient-centred approach to care. Five Candidates are ‘communicate that understanding back to and tone of voice. In this instance, Shaw JR, Adams CL, Bonnett BN. What can
clinical communication skills are assessed, usually unaware of the the patient in a supportive way.’ Empathy and non-verbal candidates will do well to notice native veterinarians learn from studies of physician-
amongst those, relationship building with To do this, candidates should be communication speaker usage. YouTube provides a plethora patient communication about
empathy as an essential component. difference between encouraged to read patient cues (verbal or Empathy is not simply about employing the of examples, while listening test samples on veterinarian-client-patient communication?
non-verbal) and name the patient’s emotion, right expression at the right time. In her the OET website could also be utilised for the JAVMA 2004; 224(5): 676-684
Demonstrating empathy - how sympathy and whether it be anger, frustration or distress, TEDx Talk, The Power of Empathy, Dr same purpose. Silverman, J., (2013) Skills for Communicating
easy is it? empathy and how e.g. “I can see this is rather distressing for you.” Helen Reiss highlights the importance of Encourage candidates to record their voice with Patients, 3rd ed., Taylor & Francis
In the field of veterinary surgery, failure to “I can appreciate how angry this must make you non-verbal communication in empathy. Eye and replicate the patterns they hear. Finally, Wright, R., (2020). OET Speaking & Writing
demonstrate empathy is one of the most they are expressed feel.” In doing so, not only does the candidate Skills Builder, Express Publishing
common causes of official complaints from in English. reinforce their expression of empathy; he or
pet owners (Shaw et al, 2004). Indeed, she also demonstrates to the examiner an The official Occupational English Test
studies of healthcare professionals in general A useful starting point when preparing understanding of the situation and its impact site provides detailed information
have found that opportunities to demonstrate candidates is to gauge their understanding of from the patient’s perspective. about OET Speaking, including
empathy are regularly missed. Even when the differences between sympathy and There are different kinds of empathy, sample tests and the marking criteria.
they are acted upon, practitioners tend to empathy. Ask candidates to analyse common notably direct and indirect empathy. If 24HRS IN A&E, CHANNEL 4 (MARCH 2020) https://www.occupationalenglishtest.
focus on the situation, “How did she die?”, responses to patient emotion and discuss empathy is about making a connection, what org/test-information/speaking/
rather than the impact on the patient, e.g. their level of effectiveness. How empathetic better way than sharing your own experience
“How is it affecting you?” (Hsu, 2012); the are these responses (below)? with the patient? The candidate who has
latter indicating a level of empathy.
Not unsurprisingly, allied healthcare Ros Wright has
professionals are considered the best at written several titles
expressing empathy, while women (veterinary in medical English.
surgeons included) are generally more adept WRIGHT, OET SPEAKING & Her most recent is
than their male counterparts. When it comes WRITING SKILLS BUILDER (2020) OET Speaking &
to skills development, Marsden (2014) found Writing Skills
that explicit rather implicit training was Builder (Express
preferred by medical students, with focus on Publishing, 2020)
the benefits of empathy; an approach worth which prepares
considering when preparing OET candidates. candidates for the Occupational English Test.

38 November 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 39