IPEC Domain/Competency 

Values and Ethics

Sub-Competencies

VE1. Promote the values and interests of persons and populations served in health care, community-based-settings, and/or interdisciplinary endeavors.

VE4. Value diversity, identities, cultures, and differences.

VE6. Collaborate with honesty and integrity while striving for equity and improvements in individual, community, and/or project outcomes.

VE7.  Practice trust, empathy, respect, and compassion with persons, collaborators, and populations.

Goals and objectives

1. Demonstrate empathetic, patient-centered responses to scenarios involving social and economic challenges.
2. Explain how cultural, social, and personal factors influence patient experiences and healthcare decisions.
3. Collaborate with interprofessional team members to develop respectful and ethical approaches to patient care.
4. Reflect on personal biases and assumptions that may impact interactions with patients and team members.

Materials

• Scenarios for Empathy Card Game (MSWord)

Instructions

IDE: Students are organized in interprofessional or inter pairs or small groups and pull cards from separate decks to create a patient scenario (e.g., I couldn’t pay for my medicine because my mother is sick.). Students help one another demonstrate empathy for individual in the scenario.

IPE: Students are organized into interdisciplinary groups (e.g., nursing, medicine, social work, pharmacy, etc.). Each group draws cards from separate decks to create a complex patient scenario. Within their groups, students assume a different professional role and discuss how their discipline would approach the situation while working collaboratively to provide empathetic, patient-centered care. Students are encouraged to:

• Share discipline-specific perspectives on the patient’s needs.
• Practice empathetic communication with both the patient and team members.
• Identify social, cultural, and ethical factors influencing the scenario.
• Work together to develop a coordinated, team-based response.

Debrief questions about experience of the activity

(choose the questions most salient to the learning objectives you strive to achieve)

Reflection on Experience (What happened?)

• How did it feel to play the patient? The provider?
• What emotions came up during the interaction?
• What part of the scenario felt most challenging?
• What felt most realistic or familiar?
• Did anything surprise you about your reaction?

Communication & Empathy Skills

• What specific words or behaviors helped convey empathy?
• Were there moments where empathy could have been stronger? How?
• How did tone, body language, or silence impact the interaction?
• Did you feel heard and understood? Why or why not?
• What assumptions (if any) did you notice yourself making?

Interprofessional Collaboration

• How did your group work together to respond to the patient?
• Did different perspectives (e.g., nursing, social work, pharmacy, etc.) change how the situation was handled?
• What role did each person take in supporting the patient?
• How could teamwork have been improved?

Social Determinants & Context

• What non-medical factors influenced this patient’s situation?
• How did social, cultural, or financial issues affect care?
• What barriers to care did the patient face?
• How might these challenges impact treatment adherence?

Critical Thinking & Clinical Application

• What would be your next steps if this were a real patient?
• What resources or referrals might help this patient?
• How would you prioritize the patient’s needs?
• What would you document from this encounter?

Bias, Assumptions, and Self-Awareness

• Did you notice any biases (implicit or explicit) during the interaction?
• How might bias affect patient care in situations like this?
• What will you do differently in future patient interactions?
• How can you remain mindful of patient dignity and respect?

Application to Practice

• What is one thing you will take from this activity into your clinical work?
• How can you build empathy into time-limited clinical encounters?
• What strategies can you use when a patient’s situation feels frustrating?
• How can you advocate for patients facing similar challenges?

Debrief questions about Values and Ethics IPEC Competency

Mutual Respect & Shared Values

• How did you demonstrate respect for the patient’s values, beliefs, and preferences?
• Were there any moments where respect could have been improved? How?
• How did your team show respect for each other’s professional roles and perspectives?
• Did everyone feel heard within the group? Why or why not?

Patient-Centered Care

• In what ways did you prioritize the patient’s needs, values, and goals?
• Did the care approach align with what mattered most to the patient?
• How did you involve the patient in decision-making?
• Were there missed opportunities to empower the patient?

Ethical Practice

• What ethical issues were present in this scenario (e.g., access to care, equity, autonomy)?
• How did you balance respecting patient autonomy with providing guidance?
• Did any part of the scenario create an ethical dilemma? How did you respond?
• How would you handle this situation if the patient’s choices conflicted with medical advice?

Cultural Sensitivity & Equity

• How did cultural, social, or economic factors influence ethical decision-making?
• Did you consider issues of health equity or disparities in this scenario?
• How can providers ensure fair and unbiased care in similar situations?
• Were there structural or systemic barriers affecting this patient?

Self-Awareness & Professional Integrity

• How did your personal values influence your responses?
• Did you feel any internal conflict during the interaction?
• How can you remain ethically grounded under pressure or time constraints?
• What would you do differently next time to better align with professional ethics?

Closing Reflection (Optional)

• Share one word that describes what you’re taking away from this experience.
• What is one action you commit to improving as a future healthcare professional?

References:

Tennessee Interprofessional Practice and Education Consortium. (April 28, 2021). Empathy Card Game. Retrieved from https://tipec.org/2021/04/28/empathy-card-game/.

Created by: Taj Rollins
Suggested Citation: CHBS IPE and IDE Council. (2026). Empathy Card Game. CHBS IPE & IDE Instructional Toolkit. James Madison University.