New courses for clinical supervisors

Two parallel projects initiated the process of creating the courses. We have investigated the organisation’s desires regarding the content and format of the courses through surveys and focus group interviews. Discussions have also been held in various groups from different educational programmes at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Project funding for the development of the courses came partly from the Undergraduate and Master’s Education Committee at the Faculty of Medicine (GRUNK) and partly from Project grants for educational development (PUMA/PUDU). The working group in both projects consisted of Eva Thörnqvist and Lena Normark. We both have previous experience as course leaders in clinical supervision and have extensive experience in supervising students ourselves.

Evaluations from the previous supervisor courses have been very significant in shaping the new courses. Students particularly appreciated meeting supervisors from other professions and gaining their perspectives, tips, and advice. They also appreciated being challenged and learning from the courses’ interactive elements, such as exercises, role-playing, and discussions.

The result of the two projects was four interdisciplinary supervisor courses, partly a fully web-based course lasting just over an hour, and partly three credit-bearing courses.

We are already familiar with Zoom teaching with interactive pedagogy. In the new credit-bearing courses, we now have flipped classrooms with web lectures that students should watch before the course days, to be able to discuss the content during the course days.

Grundkurs i klinisk handledning (Basic course in clinical supervision) is open for everyone to attend online. Participants need to register their email address. For employees in Region Uppsala, registration can be done via PingPong. The course includes short lectures, reflection questions, and example videos on topics relevant to all supervisors: The Supervisor’s responsibility, pedagogical tools and models, and the supervisor’s challenges. After completing the entire course, a certificate will be sent via email. The evaluation showed that students particularly appreciated the short lectures and example videos.

The three credit-bearing courses in Supervision for Clinical Educators in Healthcare or Social Sector have two to three course days via Zoom, and admissions are done via antagning.se. The courses also have some scheduled study days for individual studies and assignments. The subjects in the courses are an extension of the Basic Course in Clinical Supervision, with different focuses on challenging clinical supervision. The students/supervisors in the courses come from all over Sweden.

The evaluation of the first course, Supervision for Clinical Educators in Healthcare or Social Sector 1A, was very positive. Below are some quotes:

Reflection we did together is something I have never done during my study period, and it is both fun and educational...

Practicing role-plays gave a greater understanding of how to handle different situations with students.

The balance between personal preparations, lectures, and group discussions was good.

Eva Thörnqvist och Lena Normark