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Schwartz Rounds®: Sharing and Compassion
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capacity crowd turned out to hear four faculty and staff softly relive events and share their emotions as each recalled a specific time when they cared for a patient and their family. The frank presentations — some highlighting the emotional toll following the unexpected death of a child — brought tears to those listening. In many corners of the room, employees, faculty and staff nodded and understood. They also had experienced similar emotions. Soon, many in the audience began sharing their own thoughts. “It was beyond helpful to hear the panelists speak first,” says one attendee, Briana Miller, MS, ATR, PLPC, an art therapist in hematology/oncology. “They touched on some of the harder
around the world. “When we experience hard things, we often put our heads down and just keep doing our jobs,” says Miller. “However, the grief doesn’t go away when ignored; it festers and grows until it becomes too much, and then you can’t ignore it anymore. We’re not indestructible. We need support at times, too.” “Half of the program was devoted to open sharing, which creates this culture of ‘we are Briana Miller, MS, ATR, PLPC (left), art therapist in hematology/ not alone,’” agrees Angie oncology, talks with Angie Filipiak, MSN, RN, NEA-BC (right), Filipiak, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Care for Caregivers program manager program manager of the Hospital’s Care for Caregivers Schwartz Rounds will be held Program and a member of the quarterly with different topics and panelists. It is another resource for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s own Care for Caregivers program. Filipiak’s full-time position is funded by donations to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. It enables her to be proactive steering committee that brought throughout the Hospital, checking Schwartz Rounds to the Hospital on employees at all levels and as a valuable resource for all providing confidential one-to-one employees. “I was surprised at the opportunities for them to open up amount of sharing. It was standing and share thoughts. “It can be in my room only in the back. The response office, in a department or over the and participation highlight the fact phone,” says Filipiak. “Our trained that we are all human and we all are peer supporters and I listen, offer impacted by the care we provide, self-care and coping strategies or the people we interact with and additional resources, and show the patients them that someone cares.” and families Filipiak’s full-time position is the we serve.” first within SSM Health systemwide. Plans are in the works to create Schwartz Rounds is a more positions like hers and to safe opportunity for broaden the reach of Schwartz hospital physicians, Rounds. “It’s OK not to be OK and nurses and staff to listen to, and share, to ask for help,” Filipiak stresses. their experiences of “You can’t take care of somebody caring for patients unless you take care of yourself.” and families
“They touched on some of the harder realities of the work we do in a way that welcomed us to share our own experiences in a safe and comfortable way.” realities of the work we do in a way that welcomed us to share our own experiences in a safe and comfortable way.” The SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital event was the second Schwartz Rounds, a caregiver program offered in health care organizations throughout the United States and
6 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation
