The Empathy Exams

Jamison opens her essay by explaining that she works as a medical actor, which means for $13.50 an hour she is given a script and pretends to have the conditions outlined in it. It also includes how and when to express symptoms, with rules in place for revealing information. Jamison then shares a portion of her specialty case script, written about a woman named Stephanie Phillips, who is experiencing seizures after the death of her brother.

Jamison then describes the process of the exam itself. The actors will wait in an examination room for the arrival of a second- or third-year medical student. The student and actor will interact with each other, exchanging information based on the behavior of the student. Following the exam, each actor is given an evaluation to gauge whether the student discovered all pertinent information, including whether they “voiced empathy for my situation/problem” (3). Jamison then describes the preparation suite for the actors, listing the different medical scenarios and the props associated with them.

The students themselves, Jamison notes, are often awkward. There is an unwritten contract between actor and student that involves a willingness to participate in fictitious small talk. She notes the difference between overeager students and business-like students, finally discussing the students who showcase humility as a proper step towards empathy.