Schwartz Rounds
Schwartz Rounds were started by Ken Schwartz, an attorney who was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at age 40. During his ordeal, Ken came to realize that what mattered most to him were the human connections he made with his caregivers and how “the smallest acts of kindness” made “the unbearable bearable.”
At the end of his life, Ken founded The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. – the goal of which simple but compelling: to promote compassionate care in a way that provides hope to the patient, support to caregivers and sustenance to the healing process.
Schwartz Rounds offer clinicians a venue to openly discuss and explore the human dimensions of caregiving. In a typical Rounds session, a panel of caregivers presents a patient case that raised important social or emotional issues. Topics have included: delivering bad news; when religious beliefs conflict with medical advice; taking care of a colleague; or losing a patient unexpectedly. Following the brief panel presentation, participants share from their own experiences, with thoughts and feelings related to the session’s topic. In contrast to traditional medical rounds, these sessions are not about clinical problem-solving, but rather about exploring and processing the emotions that come up for hospital staff in their work with patients.
Contact
Schwartz Rounds are open to all clinicians (physicians, nurses, social workers, allied health professionals, chaplains, etc.) and other staff members impacted by patient care. Rounds are closed to the public.
For more information on Schwartz Rounds or if you would like to become a committee member contact:
Eric Moore, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, ermoore@ucdavis.edu
Neelam Chandra, MBA, nkchandra@ucdavis.edu
Facilitated by:
- Nathan Fairman, MD
- Monica Miller, RN
Coordinators
Committee Members
- Natalie Da Marto
- Ashley Viera
- Tin Sidhu Jagpal
- Kathleen Lorain
- Morgan Davis
- Timothy Tubra
- Jodi Coltes Warfield
- Amanda Buccina