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

ABSTRACT

Schwartz 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 health-care students experience participation at Schwartz Rounds in a University context. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight health-care students about their experience of attending Rounds. Three themes were identified: ambivalence about safety to share “would it reflect badly on me?”; unifying through sharing emotions “you’re not alone in feeling that”; and space to question professional cultures “there’s not normally space given to that”. The findings suggest that Rounds promote connectedness through humanizing professions and focusing on shared emotions; however, safety to share within Rounds can be limited by fear of judgment. This supports previous literature and suggests that Rounds may be well placed in educational contexts to support cultural change from the beginning of training.

KEYWORDS:

• Schwartz Rounds
• interpretative phenomenological analysis
• interprofessional education
• healthcare
• compassion
• students

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all the participants who generously gave their time to participate in this study. We would also like to thank the consultative groups who assisted with the development and analysis of this research.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The author received £250 from the University of Plymouth toward research costs. There was no financial interest or benefit from the applications of this research.

Notes on contributors

Dominique Clancy

Dr Dominique Clancy is a Clinical Psychologist working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This article was completed as part of her Doctoral thesis whilst at Plymouth University. Dominique has previously worked in Adult Mental Health Services and has a specific interest in staff wellbeing and promoting compassionate care.

Annie Mitchell

Annie Mitchell is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth for their Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training programmes. She practices in Clinical Health Psychology for Devon Partnership NHS Trust. She was the recipient of the 2018 British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology MB Shapiro Distinguished Contribution Award. Her first academic publication was in the Journal of Interprofessional Care.

Cordet Smart

Dr Cordet Smart is the Research Director for the Clinical Psychology training programme at Plymouth University. A trained nurse with a PhD in social psychology, she co-edited 'Interprofessional Care and Mental Health: A discursive exploration of team meeting practices'. She publishes qualitative research in clinical psychology fields, specialising in discursive psychology and conversational analysis. She led Multi-Disciplinary Teams in Action research programme. She also provides organisational psychology consultancy to interprofessional teams to develop collaborative practice and work with innovation.