Educational Supervision

All junior doctors will have an educational supervisor whose role is to ensure the overall progress of the trainee through training across a number of placements.

The educational supervisor should:

• Ensure that the programme is appropriate to the doctor’s needs
• Support doctors by reviewing their learning needs in the light of achieved goals
• Carry out and/or collate assessments from clinical supervisors, trainers and other assessors
• Review the doctor’s learning portfolio
• Conduct appraisals
• Support the doctor through any difficulty
• Show principled professional practice
• Produce, with the trainee, an appropriate report of their education and professional progress (Personal Development Plan)
• Give career advice and support as required

Clinical Supervision

The aim of clinical supervision is to ensure that the trainee is safe to carry out the clinical work expected of them within the department. A clinical supervisor will usually be the consultant that a doctor is directly responsible to for their clinical work, and there will be frequent contact with them. For some rotations, the clinical supervisor and the educational supervisor will be the same person and it is important that he/she understands the different roles. The clinical supervisor:

• Is responsible for monitoring, supporting and assessing the trainee’s day to day clinical and professional work
• Must offer a level of supervision of clinical activity appropriate to the competence and experience of the individual trainee
• May delegate aspects of supervision to colleagues with appropriate training and experience
• Remains responsible and accountable for the care of the patient and the actions of the doctor in training

Further information on educational and clinical supervision is available on the Peninsula Deanery website. There is also specific information on supervision, assessments and doctors in difficulty for Foundation Educational Supervisors.

In recognition of the importance of good trainee supervision the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) requires that the Trust supports a Policy for the Supervision of Doctors in Training.

Supervisor Support

Other areas of this website contain information that will help with your role. The ‘Support Services’ page (under ‘Resources for Junior Doctors’) lists information on career advice, mentoring and counselling services that may be useful.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding educational or clinical supervision please contact Dr Chris Williams – chris.williams29@nhs.net