Schwartz Rounds: Supporting the emotional wellbeing of our future healthcare workforce

Abstract

There is a pressing need to increase the availability of emotional support to healthcare professionals in training and those in early career, in particular junior doctors. Schwartz Rounds provide a space for staff and students to reflect on the emotional impact of their work. The Rounds are a multidisciplinary forum for all staff and students working in healthcare settings. The key premise is that supporting healthcare staff and students’ wellbeing, providing a way for them to gain insight into their feelings and those that they work with, helps them to work compassionately with patients. This article describes the current NHS context concerns for healthcare staff and students and provides information about Schwartz Rounds and how their counter-cultural nature can help to address current workforce challenges, especially in relation to medical students and junior doctors. Implications for research are discussed.

Keywords

• Schwartz Rounds
• Junior doctors
• Healthcare students
• Emotional support
• Reflective practice