Student supervision: risky business?

Radical and rapid reform of the national health service (NHS) has impacted significantly on skill-mix and the work organisation of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in recent years. These changes impact on student training at macro and micro levels. In the context of a society-in-transition, student supervision is argued to be a risky business. Six clinicians were selected for in-depth interviewing, using theoretical sampling procedures. A small-scale qualitative enquiry was undertaken to explore the clinicians' perceptions of and attitudes towards the risks involved in delegating clinical work to students. Thematic analysis of transcribed and coded data was carried out. Risks to clients, students and the service are explored from psychological, behavioural, medical and structural perspectives. Risk tolerance and risk management approaches are described.