Schwartz Rounds are hour-long sessions where students come together to listen to stories and share reflections in a supportive and confidential environment. Open to all health-science students across multiple disciplines, Schwartz Rounds are a chance to reflect on the emotional aspects of clinical practice.
Whatever your professional discipline, Schwartz Rounds can help you and others connect through experiences. Schwartz Rounds have been implemented in clinical practice and universities to support healthcare professionals and students working in complex settings.
What happens at Schwartz Rounds?
Schwartz Rounds (sometimes shortened to “Rounds”) are a safe space to hear stories and reflect in a 1-hour forum. The Round is shaped by trained facilitators, who guide and support both storytellers and audience. After a brief introduction, storytellers share their stories for around five minutes on a theme. Attendees are then invited to share their reflections on the stories they have just heard. The Rounds aim to reflect on the emotional and personal experiences of the stories, and do not aim to solve problems. After the Round, we ask attendees to evaluate their experience.
This video can help you to understand what happens at Schwartz Rounds and what you can expect:
What are themes, and who are the storytellers?
What do our students say about Schwartz Rounds?
What else do I need to know?
At the in-person Rounds, food and drinks are available as we collect together before the Round begins. Sometimes, Rounds may be held online using Teams. A variety of times and days are offered, so there is hopefully a Round that you can attend. Our panels of storytellers may include colleagues from clinical practice, students, recent graduates, and lecturers from our courses. All students and recent graduates from our health sciences courses are warmly invited to attend.
On placements or once registered and working, you may be interested to attend Schwartz Rounds if they are provided by the organisation.
You can watch an introductory video from the Point of Care Foundation to find out more: Schwartz Rounds for students
Can I claim placement hours to attend Schwartz Rounds?
Many of our courses do permit students to claim placement hours to attend Schwartz Rounds. Ask your course team if you are able to do this.
To record and claim the placement hours, please write a reflection on your experience of the Round in the ‘Record of working with and learning from others/ interprofessional learning’ section of your Practice Assessment Document. You will then be required to discuss your experience with your Practice Assessor at the end point interview, and your reflection must be signed by your Practice Supervisor or Practice Assessor. You should also record the hours on your timesheet for the placement, and we can sign timesheets at the Round.
I am a newly registered health professional. Can I attend Rounds?
Yes absolutely. Your employer may be running Schwartz Rounds in your new place of work. You are always welcome to attend Rounds at the University and can book tickets in the same way, using the link on this site. We would also love to invite you to share a story at a Round, becuase students really value listening to your journey and experiences. Take a look at this video to understand more:
Where do Schwartz Rounds come from?
Schwartz Rounds were first developed by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare in the USA, which was created by a person named Ken Schwartz shortly before his death in 1995. Ken had lung cancer, and during his period of ill health, he noticed that the “acts of kindness – the simple human touch from my caregivers – have made the unbearable bearable”. He created the Schwartz Centre to nurture compassion in healthcare and support relationships between care-givers and patients. An initial pilot and evaluation by The King’s Fund led to the adoption of Rounds in clinical settings across the UK, supported by the Point of Care Foundation. Recently, the benefits of attending Schwartz Rounds for healthcare students are being observed in universities.
Who else is involved in Schwartz Rounds?
Schwartz Rounds are supported by the Point of Care Foundation in the UK, and our facilitators have all participated in the training programme. We are part of the ‘Schwartz South’ research project, which is led by the University of Surrey; this means that the evaluations from our Rounds contribute to the ongoing research into understanding how Schwartz Rounds can benefit students.
Accessibility and content notes for Schwartz Rounds
We want our Schwartz Rounds to be accessible for everyone who wants to attend Rounds.
At our in-person Rounds, the venues on campus are fully accessible. If you have specific needs for the venue, please get in contact with us.
If you feel the need to bring a comforter or fidget item to a Round, please do so. If you need to physically move around the space, this is ok too. However, we ask that mobile phones are not used during the Round for any reason.
The Rounds will include conversations about the emotional aspects of working in healthcare. This might include feelings about joy, pride and connection with others. This might also include feelings of sadness, grief, frustration, guilt, regret and anger. Click on the ‘Previous Rounds’ to read a summary of what has been shared previously.
The emotions shared at the Round depend on how individual storytellers share thier stories, and what people in the audience choose to share in the discussion. Therefore, this can be unpredictable. If you require specific content information about the stories in the Round, please ask the facilitators in advance of the Round by emailing us at UoBSchwartz@brighton.ac.uk .
You can choose to share your thoughts and feelings in the discussion, or you can choose to listen. However you choose to experience the Round is ok and there are no expectations from the facilitators.
If you feel you need to leave at any time, a member of our team will come out to check if you are okay or need support. We might suggest that you seek support from your Personal Academic Tutor or SSGTs (Student support and guidance tutors) if required.
