Beyond Sentiment: Cultivating Empathy as a Moral Competence in Healthcare

Rationale Empathy is widely invoked in healthcare education yet remains conceptually vague and frequently reduced to communication skills. Aims and Objectives This paper aims to reconceptualize empathy as a moral competence and to propose an integrative model for its cultivation in professional formation. Method Conceptual and normative analysis drawing from virtue ethics, phenomenology and medical humanities. Results Empathy is clarified as a mode of moral perception requiring disciplined listening, literary engagement and ethical reflection. Conclusion Empathy formation requires structured practices that integrate humanistic and ethical dimensions beyond procedural training.