The first learner-led initiative of its kind in Canada, the OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds offer learners in health-related programs a space to discuss shared experiences and discuss the emotional impact of their work.
In between shifts at the McGill University Health Centre, Kiki Strigas stood up among 34 of her peers to share her reflections on learning in clinical environments.
A qualifying-year master’s student at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, she was a storyteller in the first of the Office of Interprofessional Education (OIPE) Student Schwartz Rounds on November 4, 2024. This pilot initiative offers healthcare learners at McGill, an opportunity to discuss the emotional impact of clinical work – whether they are just starting their practica in a clinical environment or preparing to graduate.
“Hearing perspectives from different healthcare disciplines enriched my understanding of how each profession approaches similar challenges,” Kiki says. “It also highlighted the importance of collaboration and communication in healthcare, not just for patient care but for our own well-being as professionals.”
The OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds are led by over 30 student champions – including Kiki – from various health professions programs assisted by two co-facilitators. It aims to help learners in programs within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as dentistry, social work and nutrition, see the similarities between their professions through fostering empathy and connections with one another.
“The interprofessionalism piece is so important,” says Cynthia Perlman, M.Ed., OT(C), erg., Director, OIPE and Associate Professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. “It creates a collective experience for learners to normalize emotions and to listen with empathy.”
Discussing shared experiences across professions
The initiative takes inspiration from the rounds created by the Schwartz Centre for Compassionate Care in Boston, which have been replicated around the world. However, the OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds stand out from other iterations, which are often held in hospital environments for clinicians who are already practicing in their fields. By contrast, they are the first in Canada to be organized by and for students in various health disciplines as they go through their training.
Student champions are assisted in planning the OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds by two co-facilitators: Amanda Cervantes, RN, Faculty Lecturer at the Ingram School of Nursing, and Matthew Park, a Social Worker in the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH).
Both have been involved in Schwartz Rounds at the MCH since 2016 and suggested that the OIPE should develop a similar initiative given the mandate of the office.
For Matthew, the OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds are an interdisciplinary space for learners to find connections with their colleagues across health-related disciplines and discuss shared pressures they encounter.
“As a student, you are trying to find your footing, to feel like you’re having an impact that’s important for your patients and their families,” he says. “Realizing that many people feel that as well is important and speaks to having an ability to have compassion towards all of the different people who are providing care.”
The rounds begin with four storytellers, who speak about their memories or experiences for four minutes. Amanda and Matthew help each speaker prepare their story in a way that it remains authentic but sparks a wider conversation with the group.
Themes that emerged at the first OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds included navigating new situations, accepting the uncertainty of not knowing everything and recognizing shared experiences with other learners across professions.
Amanda distinguishes these rounds from debriefs and workshops: “It’s a place for you to talk about not just what happened, but how you, the person – not your professional title – dealt with or felt these things.”
Unique and valuable experience
The student champions are currently preparing for the next OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds on February 18, which will be held online at 7pm. However, the benefits of its first event are already clear.
A survey of students who attended in November 2024 revealed that 82% reported feeling less isolated in their work with patients and more open to expressing thoughts, questions and feelings about patient care with fellow learners.
Eighty-six percent said hearing others talk openly about their personal feelings in the context of their work was helpful.
Margaryta Chabab, a first-year medical student and OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds student champion, called the interprofessional aspect of the rounds “unique” and “valuable”.
“In the future, we are going to be working with other professionals. So, it’s good to start with their perspective in mind,” she says. “We’re all in healthcare, so we share the same challenges, the same difficulties and the same fears. It’s really good to see how they approach and overcome these challenges with their own experience.”
Meanwhile, the OIPE and the co-facilitators hope the rounds will become a permanent fixture in interprofessional education offered at McGill.
“Beyond all the different professions, there’s an emotional connection that learners can hopefully build on after they graduate,” Amanda says. “We hope that this will be a little part of that change.”
Register for news and updates about the OIPE Student Schwartz Rounds here, or follow @oipestudentschwartz on Instagram.
For questions, contact studentschwartz.fmhs@mcgill.ca.
