The Empathy Exams

The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison is a collection of nonfiction essays that are connected thematically by pain and caring. Jamison uses a combination of personal experiences and journalistic approaches to ponder essential questions about both physical and emotional wounds, tenderness, and how people connect through pain. First published in April 2014, this collection premiered at #11 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received considerable acclaim from reviewers across the world. The Empathy Exams: Essays was a finalist for the ABA Indies Choice Awards and the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay.

This guide uses the first edition of the text. Please be advised that this text contains discussion of mortality, physical and mental illness, injury, abortion, race, sexual assault, sex work, violence, addiction, and self-harm.

Summary

The first and titular essay, “The Empathy Exams,” describes Jamison’s job as a medical actor. She pretends to be a patient so medical students can be assessed on their ability to display empathy. Jamison’s usual script is for a woman named Stephanie Phillips, whose grief makes her experience seizures. Jamison, after describing the different types of medical students, then transitions to talking about her own medical history.