Professional development in clinical teaching: An action research study

Clinical supervisors, who support and assess health students' clinical learning, encounter many challenges. Professional development opportunities for clinical supervisors to overcome the challenges are available but are often designed to meet organisational and tertiary provider administrative needs, rather than the needs of intended target groups.

A qualitative action research study was designed to include a group of Australian nursing clinical supervisors in the design and implementation of meaningful professional development activities.

Ten clinical supervisors, from one organisation, participated in three meetings to explore shared challenges and create solutions to resolve these challenges.

Over a seven-month period in 2018-2019 data revealed clinical supervisors in this study experienced a variety of tensions. Participants prioritised three opposing tensions that were of shared concern; Doing and Thinking; Educator and Clinician and Negotiating and Challenging. Being able to visualise and articulate these tensions helps to empathise with the role complexity that clinical supervisors experience, and this led to the production of solutions which validate and advocate for the role and the values.

The group created innovative solutions such as podcasts, posters, banners and flyers to assist them to harmonise the tensions and work more effectively in their role.