Exploring Factors Associated with Caring Self-Perception and Systemic Barriers in Medical Education

Caring behaviors are fundamental to healthcare delivery, yet preliminary research suggested potential gaps in how medical students describe their caring attributes. This exploratory study investigated self-rated caring capacity, emotional detachment, burnout prevalence, and perceived structural barriers among 55 osteopathic medical students across training years using a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey. Participants reported high self-assessed caring capacity (mean ≈ 8/10) and overwhelmingly rejected inherent caring deficits (92.7%). However, 90.9% reported burnout, 76.4% experienced frequent emotional detachment, and 83.6% identified hierarchical structures and rigid professionalism as key barriers constraining caring expression. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between emotional detachment and lower caring self-assessment (p=0.037). Qualitative findings highlighted desensitization, defensive distancing, and academic pressure. Medical students report high self-assessed caring capacity, yet experience systemic and cultural pressures that constrain their caring self-perception. These exploratory findings suggest implications for medical education, highlighting the value of addressing structural obstacles and evaluative pressures rather than attempting to remediate inherent student empathy.