Professional Experience Placement

I was reading an editorial about clinical supervision being invisible on the contemporary nursing and midwifery policy agenda, recently published by the journal of Advanced nursing. White (2016) discusses the availability of  qualitative data and smaller studies using descriptive statistics, but he critiques the lack the lack of studies with sizeable samples that can quantify the value of clinical supervision to health outcomes, workforce development including recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives.  He also points out due the terminology used to describe the role and function that nurses and midwives may lose control of the clinical supervision ‘narrative’. White (2016) ponders the reasons for the lack of presentation of clinical supervision outcomes to lack of quality or funding; being off the research agenda; or well integrated within the profession.  White (2016) suggests it is more likely a ‘content-gap’ due to competing pressures.

This editorial opens discussion about clinical supervision and its value in nursing and midwifery and the rationales for the ‘pause’ in progress within the profession, especially as the release of the Registered Nurse Standards for Practice clearly state in Standard 3, the need for professional development of self-and others. Moreover, the release of the Standards provides opportunities for nurses to examine their role and function within their organisations to support the tenet of the Standards and provide guidance about the ‘content-gap’. Supervision of students is imperative for guiding the next generation of nurses, loss of the impetus of clinical supervision mandates, models and gains made, including overt terminology to describe this essential role that is embedded in our scope of practice is indeed of concern.

If you have any comments about the next steps for the profession to progress clinical supervision more prominently onto the policy agenda, you are welcome to post them here. Please join us @PEPCommunity.