Trialing an online clinical supervision education program

This project was possible due to funding made available by Health Workforce Australia

partnerships• Gateway Community Health (GCH)

• Ovens & King Community Health Service (O&K)

• Beechworth Health Service (BHS)

• Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation

• Indigo North Health Service

Project objectives • Increase the number of novice clinical

supervisors in five community health services

• Evaluate whether online learning is accessible, flexible, appropriate and cost-effective for clinicians in rural health services

• Evaluate if online learning increases the skills, knowledge and confidence of novice clinical supervisors in community health services

About the course

• Monash University

• Online

• Moderated

• Self-paced

Snapshot of participants

• 16 participants

• Professional backgrounds: social work, community development, dietician, podiatry, speech pathology, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy

• Previous clinical experience supervising students range from nil to five years

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Discipline of Participants

Progress

• Participants up to module 4 of 6

• Active support & encouragement to participants

• A natural attrition of three participants due to time restraints & pressures

• Feedback provided to Monash re program design issues & technical difficulties

Benefits

• Build participants’ understanding of learning styles

• Develop participants’ confidence in supervising students, and managing a placement

• Participants reflect on & identify their knowledge & skills

Benefits

• Build participants’ confidence to assist student to set learning goals & strategies

• Build participants confidence to give students verbal/written feedback and evaluate a student’s performance on placement

Where to from here? • How to continue to support clinicians in

their professional development re supervising students

• How can we provide on going professional development to clinicians in rural community health services?

• Exploring possible peer supervision training