It is often said that we should treat other people in the manner we want to be treated; nonetheless, such behaviour cannot be described as empathic. Empathy is whether pity nor compassion; however, these terms are frequently mixed up. Empathy is the ability to enter imaginarily other people’s mind, to understand patients' feelings and to use such understanding to direct one’s own actions at providing the best possible medical care to patients. Empathy possesses characteristics that define it as altruistic since it is caused by other people’s pain and suffering, and not by one’s own. Accordingly, the behaviour of an empathic nurse is aimed at helping others and not herself/himself, and the final satisfaction depends on how successful he/she has been in helping patients. This paper presents what empathy is and what theoretical knowledge a nurse has to acquire in order to be able to feel what patients feel and want and to establish the best possible cooperation with them with the aim of ensuring their fastest possible recovery. Personality traits of a nurse and her/his perception of herself/himself are the precondition for demonstrating empathy in nursing. Nurses that have empathy for their patients are better at coping with negative emotional situations and have more job satisfaction. Nurses working with children need considerable knowledge on child’s developmental phases and on how to communicate with their parents/legal guardians in order to be able to adapt communication to a child’s age and to establish an empathic relationship. Active listening and honesty are important preconditions for establishing trust between a patient and a nurse. It is, therefore, of great importance that nurses improve their communication skills and active listening skills through lifelong learning and training programmes given that such skills are a precondition for demonstrating empathy.