en Medical Education Medical Education Original Research Original Research <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-style:italic"><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp; Background: </span></span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">The Jefferson Scale of Empathy&ndash;Student Version (JSE-S) is among the most widely used instruments for assessing empathy in medical students. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the JSE-S among Iranian undergraduate clinical trainees, specifically clerks and interns. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 531 medical students. Content validity was assessed using the CVR, CVI, and kappa coefficient, while face validity was evaluated through student ratings. A PLS-based confirmatory measurement model was implemented in SmartPLS 4 to evaluate construct validity and reliability, which included item loadings, CR, AVE, and discriminant validity. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Results:</b> The Persian JSE-S exhibited excellent content validity, as indicated by the S-CVI/UA of 0.80, I-CVI of 0.97, and &kappa; &ge; 0.87, along with satisfactory face validity (S-FVI/Av = 0.80). Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha coefficients for the subscales of Perspective Taking, Compassionate Care, and Standing in the Patient&rsquo;s Shoes were 0.846, 0.817, and 0.849, respectively, demonstrating strong internal consistency. The CR values ranged from 0.850 to 0.865. Following the removal of item JSE-18, the AVE for Compassionate Care surpassed the 0.50 threshold, whereas Perspective Taking remained slightly below it at 0.42. Discriminant validity was confirmed through cross-loadings, Fornell&ndash;Larcker, and HTMT criteria (all <0.90). </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Conclusion: </b>The Persian version of the JSE-S demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, affirming its reliability and validity for assessing empathy among Iranian Generation Z clinical medical students. Despite minor limitations in convergent validity regarding Perspective Taking, the scale&rsquo;s robust structure, internal consistency, and discriminant validity confirm its utility in educational and research contexts. Further multicenter studies with larger samples are recommended to enhance cross-cultural generalizability. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Empathy, Generation Z, Medical students, Medical Education, Measurement Model 450 460 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-3863-5&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Somayeh Delavari delavariso@gmail.com 200319475328460097858 200319475328460097858 No Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences (CERMS), Medical Education Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Farzaneh Barzkar barzkarfarzane@gmail.com 200319475328460097859 200319475328460097859 No National Brain Centre, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Seyed Kamran Soltani Arabshahi soltarab34@gmail.com 200319475328460097860 200319475328460097860 No Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences (CERMS), Medical Education Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Zohreh Sohrabi zo_sohrabi@yahoo.com 200319475328460097861 200319475328460097861 No Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences (CERMS), Medical Education Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Madankan madankan.ah@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460097862 200319475328460097862 No Firoozgar Colorectal Department, GILDRIC, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Neda Rahimian rahimian.n@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460097863 200319475328460097863 No Department of Internal Medicine, Firoozgar Hospital, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mitra Amini mitraamini51@yahoo.com 200319475328460097864 200319475328460097864 No Clinical Education Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Mohammadreza Pourahamadi pourahmadipt@gmail.com 200319475328460097865 200319475328460097865 No Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Seyed Vahid Shariat shariat.v@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460097866 200319475328460097866 Yes Mental Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran