The following large-scale study aimed to better understand clinical empathy and factors undermining its experience and outcome in care-giving settings. 7,584 physicians completed validated instruments assessing different aspects of empathy, distress, burnout, altruistic behavior, emotional awareness, and well-being. Compassion satisfaction was strongly associated with empathetic concern, perspective taking and altruism, while compassion fatigue (burnout and secondary traumatic stress) was more closely related to personal distress and alexithymia. Women displayed higher values, which led to a wide array of negative and devalued feelings.