A qualitative exploration of students experiences of attending Schwartz Rounds in a University context

Annie Mitchell Cordet SmartSchwartz Rounds are a cultural change initiative for interdisciplinary staff to reflect on their work to preserve the human connection. Their recent implementation in educational contexts means that there is limited research exploring the experience of students attending Rounds. This study aimed to develop understanding of how healthcare students experience participation at Schwartz Rounds in a University context. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight healthcare students about their experience of attending Rounds. Three inter-related superordinate themes were identified: “would it reflect badly on me?”: ambivalence about safety to share; “you’re not alone in feeling that”: unifying through sharing emotions; and “there’s not normally space given to that”: space to question professional cultures. The findings suggest that Rounds promote connectedness through humanising professions and focusing on shared emotions; however safety to share within Rounds can be limited by fear of judgement. This supports previous literature and suggests that Rounds may be well-placed in educational contexts to support cultural change from the beginning of training