Understanding Theoretical Perspectives And Practical Applications In Clinical Supervision In Healthcare: An Essay.

The Importance of Clinical Supervision in Healthcare

The topic has been on clinical supervision which looks at this aspect in various sectors within the healthcare context including mental health professions and the underlying models used in the course of supervision. At the start of the unit, it was important to go through the unit guide which provided a general guideline and direction of the topic alongside the detailed objectives (AASW, 2014). Additionally, the scope of the topic was outlined by the unit guide in availing the teaching approaches, the reading list, and assessment tasks relevant to supervision in the clinical practice. Tackling this unit regularly was important in order to garner as much information as possible, which would also allow adequate time to reflect upon the topic insights using various resources including the recommended textbooks (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). Realizing the essence of clinical supervision as a topic required linking the theoretical perspectives to the workplace context in revealing the framework’s relevance to the workplace or even in future endeavors. Some of the questions that would be considered include understanding the extent to which supervision and management are distinguishable as separate functions, the role of supervision in the professional development of the staff, and promoting staff retention using supervision (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). By laying the direction of the topic, it was easier to understand the transitional aspect of learning goals, and the unit guide was essential in fostering comprehension. Therefore, the topic under study was clinical supervision and how this is distinguishable from management, with the direction offered by the unit guide and topic readings

Throughout this unit, my feelings and thoughts differed at the start, in the course of learning, and at the end, which I attribute to the insights I acquired as I went by. At the start, I was keen on making the distinction between supervision and management because more often than not, I tended to confuse the two (Bifarin & Stonehouse, 2017). I quickly grabbed the course outline in having a sneak peek and realized it was true there were indeed differences between supervision and management, some of which include management being responsible for the development of the processes while supervision ensures these are implemented. However, this was confusing to me a great deal because particularly in the healthcare setting, I have been viewing supervisors and managers interchangeably (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). As I warmed up to the unit, I learned how these two roles, although are distinct, they are in fact interdependent such that they both need each other in carrying out the various functions. This was vital in understanding the roles these two functions play in enhancing the working of the staff such as motivation, giving them a sense of belonging, and even ensuring they are retained in the long-term. Further, in the course of learning about clinical supervision, I had a change of thoughts regarding the appreciation of the role this process plays in the attainment of key community goals. Being a noble profession, efficient supervision is important in boosting the morale of community service workers and other practitioners (Cook et al., 2018). At the end of the unit, I had a better understanding of the essence of supervision in community service and was able to clearly distinguish between supervision and management. I am convinced that in my future endeavors and particularly workplace context, I will appreciate the role of supervision even more in the attainment of desirable goals within the community setting

Distinguishing Clinical Supervision from Management

Immersing myself in the unit was an interesting and fulfilling experience as we embarked on learning the important aspect of supervision and debriefing in community service. Understanding community service as being just like any other profession was the first step toward comprehending supervision and how it can help in attaining desirable goals (Cutcliffe et al., 2018). For instance, community service workers and practitioners in various fields are noble workers, and as such, motivation and feeling a sense of belonging are important in attaining the laid goals. From a personal perspective, I began seeing how efficient supervision will make the ultimate difference between the community service workers exploiting their full potential and those who will not. Additionally, I also viewed it from the point of view of a supervisor where my goal will be to ensure all practitioners and my colleagues live up to their potential. The class was an eye-opening experience in looking at the different issues plaguing our community, some of which can be traced to inefficient supervision (Ellis, 2017). The only thing that I would say was bad about the whole experience was the theoretical framework and how this can be linked to the contemporary workplace, which was just at the beginning, I think the only reason I found this a difficult experience was because I had not fully understood the essence of supervision and management, and how these two terms differed from each other. With time, I warmed up to linking theoretical concepts to the practical element, and slowly became my strength in understanding the impact of the unit in the profession.

The other thing I could make of the course and the unit, in general, is how it has enhanced my outlook on the aspect of clinical supervision and its underlying importance in the attainment of desirable objectives in healthcare. This unit has been instrumental in enhancing my knowledge pertaining to the relationship between efficient supervision and the increased competitiveness of community service workers and other practitioners within the same profession (Honkavuo, 2020). It has helped me in acknowledging how we as professionals can be at the forefront of aligning our activities and duties with the desired objectives in the field. Additionally, the difference between supervision and debriefing while at the same time exuding key interdependence has been confounded in this unit and as such, I can say it has been vital in understanding the role of a supervisor and manager. Supervision is also understood to be concerned with the development of the professionalism of the staff under supervision because from the foregoing, efficiently supervising professionals in the nursing field is important in boosting their overall staff morale, thereby placing them at a greater advantage regarding their attainment of laid objectives (Reiser, 2021). Overall, this unit has revealed to me how in the event supervision is left in an individual’s hands, it is perhaps more important to understand what would work for them and make the appropriate adjustments. It not only places me in an advantageous position not just as a supervisee but also from the perspective of the supervisor left in charge of the process.

Theoretical Perspectives on Clinical Supervision

 Conclusion

Community supervision and debriefing is one of the most eye-opening and transparent experiences made possible by the unit delving into details regarding the whole aspect of supervision and why it is important. What has been particularly outstanding is the fact supervision is responsible for the staff retention in facilities and impacting their overall staff morale, which I had clearly underestimated at the start of the unit (Snowdon et al., 2021). Perhaps what I would have done differently concerns the theoretical framework of the topic and its link to practical standpoints. From the foregoing analyzing the highlights, I would have considered it difficult, linking theoretical aspects was evident, and I believe I would have done more on that to foster my overall learning process. Additionally, going beyond my classwork in attempts to visualize the aspect of community supervision and debriefing would have helped in distinguishing the aspect of supervision from management and thereby enhance my understanding of the same. Overall, the unit has made me appreciate the importance of critical supervision and how if well applied in the clinical perspective, can be important in attaining the laid organizational goals as well as those in the profession.

Should I happen to be in the class on supervision again, the one thing that I would embark from the start would be establishing the connection between theoretical aspects and their practical application in the field. From the foregoing, it was evident that the failure to link and harmonize these two elements was particularly problematic to me, including how to distinguish supervision from management. Entering into the class doing this unit will now be better placed toward understanding key insights because I will be doing so with an open mind, compared to what had happened. As such, my mind will be programmed towards understanding the key difference between management and supervision, and how both aspects can be used in fostering the staff morale towards achieving the laid objectives (Snowdon et al., 2021). Understanding the separate functions of management and supervision will also be enhanced by looking at the workplace itself because, at this time, I will possibly be at a facility where I can learn best the essence of supervision. Additionally, I would look at it from the point of view of the supervisor whereas as a facilitator, my priority will be ensuring the nursing practitioners exploit their full potential. This is enhanced by efficient supervision so that they feel a sense of belonging thereby increasing their overall retention in the workplace. Understanding the workplace is a great starting point in comprehending the role of supervision in boosting staff morale and in prove, enhancing their overall retention. Therefore, if I were to take the unit again, I would definitely focus on the practical aspects and how they relate to the outlined theoretical perspectives, which is critical in appreciating the role it plays in the productivity of nurses.

 References

AASW. (2014). Supervision Standards 2014. https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/6027

Alfonsson, S., Parling, T., Spännargård, Å., Andersson, G., & Lundgren, T. (2018). The effects of clinical supervision on supervisees and patients in cognitive behavioral therapy: a systematic review. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 47(3), 206-228.

Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2019). Fundamentals of clinical supervision. Pearson.

Bifarin, O., & Stonehouse, D. (2017). Clinical supervision: an important part of every nurse's practice. British Journal of Nursing, 26(6), 331-335.

Cook, R. M., McKibben, W. B., & Wind, S. A. (2018). Supervisee perception of power in clinical supervision: The Power Dynamics in Supervision Scale. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 12(3), 188.

Cutcliffe, J. R., Sloan, G., & Bashaw, M. (2018). A systematic review of clinical supervision evaluation studies in nursing. International journal of mental health nursing, 27(5), 1344-1363.

Ellis, M. V. (2017). Clinical supervision contract & consent statement and supervisee rights and responsibilities. The Clinical Supervisor, 36(1), 145-159.

Honkavuo, L. (2020). Nursing students’ perspective on a caring relationship in clinical supervision. Nursing Ethics, 27(5), 1225-1237.

Reiser, R. P. (2021). An evidence-based approach to clinical supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 40(1), 8-28.

Snowdon, D. A., Leggat, S. G., & Taylor, N. F. (2017). Does clinical supervision of healthcare professionals improve effectiveness of care and patient experience? A systematic review. BMC health services research, 17(1), 1-11.