Schwartz Rounds
What are Schwartz Rounds?
Schwartz Rounds are a reflective forum where students from across the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Allied Health and Community can come together to discuss the emotional impact of their placements. They are a confidential space that can help generate greater insight into our own responses and feelings by listening and sharing experiences with colleagues.
Working in the caring professions involves facing many distressing situations which can affect our wellbeing. Rounds can help us feel more connected to each other, promoting a more compassionate culture to help us care for the people using healthcare services.
This short, animated video from the University of Liverpool explains the benefits of Schwartz Rounds for students.
The history of Schwartz Rounds
Schwartz Rounds began in the USA because of the generosity of a healthcare lawyer based in Boston. Ken Schwartz was diagnosed with terminal cancer at a young age and noticed that the “small acts of kindness made the unbearable bearable”.
Schwartz Rounds were conceived to promote humanity and compassion in the way we treat our colleagues and therefore people using the services.
About Schwartz Rounds at the University of Worcester
Schwartz Rounds at Worcester provide a forum where nursing, midwifery, and allied healthcare students can come together to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare.
The Rounds aim to help us understand some of the rewards and challenges that providing healthcare presents, allowng us time and space to reflect on experiences. They are not designed to focus on the clinical aspects of care, or to aid problem solving, but rather to provide support for healthcare students. This has been show to both reduce stress and enhance the compassionate care that students are able to provide for patients.
The Rounds last for one hour and a panel of 2-3 storytellers share their experiences of practice and how it has made them feel. The rounds are held either online or on St John’s Campus. Lunch/refreshments are provided at in-person rounds for 30 minutes before the round starts. All rounds will last for one hour.
Two trained facilitators co-ordinate the round and invite members of the audience to share similar stories and experience after the storytellers have spoken. Rounds focus on feelings and do not seek solutions to practice dilemmas. Confidentiality is maintained, but conversations about content and connections are encouraged outside of the group.
Themes
Each round follows a theme. Examples of themes include:
- A patient I’ll never forget
- In at the deep end
- Accepting that we cannot fix everything
- Caught between a patient and their family
- Being on the other side: when the professional is the patient
- We all make mistakes
- Gifts from patients
- A colleague I’ll never forget
Rounds in the academic year 2023/24
The rounds for the academic year 2023/24 have now finished. Rounds for the next academic year will commence in September 2024. Further details to follow.
Who can attend?
All nursing, midwifery, and allied healthcare students studying at the University of Worcester are invited to attend and can reserve tickets via our ticket booking service.
Want to know more about Schwartz Rounds?
If you would like further information or are interested in becoming a storyteller we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us by email at schwartz.rounds@worc.ac.uk