Interviews reveal Schwartz Rounds improve workplace culture in veterinary professionals, suggesting better support mechanisms.
Background Schwartz Rounds are a group reflective forum for healthcare staff to openly and safely discuss the emotional aspects of their work. With the plethora of challenges facing veterinary professionals, any organisational intervention that could help support team wellbeing should be evaluated to provide evidence for any beneficial claims. Methods Ten veterinary professionals who had attended two or more Schwartz Rounds in clinical practice were interviewed to explore their experience with the initiative. Transcripts were processed via reflexive thematic analysis to generate themes. Results Three themes were generated: ‘enabling compassion’, ‘empowering vulnerability’ and ‘enhancing organisational insight’. Schwartz Rounds attendees showed compassion for themselves and others through shared storytelling and active listening. Witnessing senior colleagues showcased vulnerabilities, built team connectedness and helped humanise leaders. Finally, Schwartz Rounds provided attendees with organisational insight into the wider workplace experience of others. Limitations Non‐clinical team members’ experiences were not included in this study. Impacts on patient care and client experience would broaden clinical practice insights. Conclusions There is evidence to show that Schwartz Rounds positively impact the working conditions of veterinary professionals in clinical practice and leads to changes in workplace culture through shared understanding, improved colleague relationships and enabling compassion in the workplace.
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Campbell et al. (2026) studied this question.
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