The results of this study showed a significant decline in mean empathy scores for particular groups of undergraduate nursing students during the period of the study. The decline was more pronounced among those students with more clinical encounters with patients during the pretest–posttest 1-year interval and among those with prior work experiences in health care settings. Nursing students in our sample who were in their first year of their respective nursing program (Group 1 in Table 1) spent a considerable amount of time learning fundamental clinical skills in the laboratory but less clinical time in clinical settings with lower acuity patients and a single patient assignment. In contrast, students who were in their last year of their respective program (Group 2 in Table 1) and those in the FACT program (Group 3 in Table 1) spent less time in the laboratory but more time in clinical experiences with patients, which included increased acuity and greater number of patients at one time. Nursing students in Groups 2 and 3 have more autonomy in patient encounters than those nursing students in Group 1 and less supervision by clinical faculty. The magnitude of decline in empathy was similar for nursing students in Groups 2 and 3, who were more exposed to patient encounters than their counterparts in Group 1. These results were consistent regardless of previous work experience in health care or industry prior to entering the nursing program (Table 1).