Archived case study

Clinical skills supervision workshop

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Innovation

Clinical Skills Supervision workshop and follow up teaching sessions – 2 day clinical supervision workshop for supervisors aimed at nurses working in mental health and public health services. Workshops were delivered by clinical practice and nurse academic staff from the HEI.

The workshop is an innovative skills based workshop. Aims are to:

  • Broaden the understanding of clinical supervision and its benefits to professional practice
  • Develop an awareness of the ethical, legal, and boundary issues in clinical supervision
  • Learn and demonstrate the general skills and competencies for professional clinical supervision
  • Review different models of clinical supervision
  • Identify best practice, guidelines and support available for supervisors
  • Consider the most appropriate method to implement and sustain clinical supervision in the workplace

Please also see the flyer.

What prompted innovation?

This innovative idea was prompted by NHS Fife responding to the review of mental health nursing in Scotland. This review stipulated that all mental health nurses must undertake regular clinical supervision. NHS Fife identified that there was a dearth of effective clinical supervisors to provide clinical supervision in the workplace. NHS Fife approached University of Dundee School of Nursing and Midwifery to develop a training programme to meet their needs

What makes innovation different?

This training programme is an outstanding example of partnership working between the HEI (with 2 nurse lecturers involved from the University of Dundee) and the local NHS (with 3 clinical practice staff from NHS Fife). The workshop utilises the knowledge, skills and attitudes of each facilitator to develop a highly interactive workshop using a variety of teaching methods to suit individual learner’s needs.

The workshop is different from others in that it utilises extensive peer feedback from simulated role play to further develop knowledge and skills as well as challenging and acknowledging attitudes. The training is unique in that it contains follow up drop in sessions to further develop the skills needed to provide effective clinical supervision. The ongoing half day drop in sessions enable clinical supervisors to be creative and innovative and adapt to challenges in practice. In other words, the learning continues after the workshops have finished. The drop in sessions enable the clinical supervisor to sustain motivation and monitor improvements. These sessions are flexible to focus on learner’s choice. The training is unique in that it continues to support a change in culture.

Changes in practice

  • Staff have gone on to develop clinical supervision steering groups in practice
  • Staff have commenced the delivery of providing effective clinical supervision
  • Staff have demonstrated more expert skills in challenging supervisees in the workplace
  • A register of supervisors has been developed

Impact

  • Evaluations have been highly positive
  • Significant improvements in learners knowledge and skills learned post workshop
  • Significant improvement in learners confidence of delivering clinical supervision

Dissemination

  • The work has been disseminated to team meetings within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and evaluation results announced at NHS Fife senior management meetings.
  • Results of the evaluation and direct feedback from learners to senior managers has led to a request for further training to be delivered in the same format