Benefits of Professional Supervision
Why attend professional supervision?
Health practitioners in Aotearoa face many daily stressors, including patient suffering, increasing patient complexity, time pressures, under staffing, heavy workloads, resource limitations, high expectations, public accountability and the risk of complaints. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is adversely impacting the health system and health workers are at increased risks of anxiety and poor well-being (Bell et al., 2021).
Calls for professional supervision in NZ
It is known that a health practitioner’s own health status influences care, for example doctors who are tired and burnt-out make more errors (Tawfik et al., 2018). It is very concerning that 31% of New Zealand general practitioners are burnt out (RNZCGP, 2021), and the rate for public hospital specialists is 50% (Chambers et al., 2016). There are similar concerns for other health professions, including nursing (Poghosyan et al., 2010) and in medical students (Farrell et al., 2019). There have been increasing calls for more supervision to be undertaken, (Austin, 2016).
The benefits of professional supervision
One way to help support and enhance practitioner’s well-being and resilience is to undertake regular professional supervision. This is common practice in many helping professions, although the uptake of this in medicine and some other health disciplines has been slow.
Within supervision a practitioner can explore problems and issues that arise in the workplace that are troubling for them, and work through a process of exploration coming to new understandings which enhance their own skills and strategies, and boost confidence within themselves as a practitioner.
Positive outcomes of professional supervision may include:
- Support and reduction of isolation
- Enhancement of skills and confidence
- Greater awareness and understanding
- Knowledge linked to practice
- Focus on best practice
- Improved outcomes for patients and clients
- Enhanced self-care and resilience
- A deeper understanding of self in practice
- Awareness of blind spots and others’ perspectives
- Consideration of professional development and career choices
- More effective professional relationships
- Clarification of issues, roles and action
References
Austin, H. (2016). Supervision for superheroes: the case for reflective professional supervision for senior doctors. New Zealand Medical Journal, 129(1434), 69-72.
Bell, C., Williman, J., Beaglehole, B., Stanley, J., Jenkins, M., Gendall, P., Rapsey, C., & Every-Palmer, S. (2021). Challenges facing essential workers: a cross-sectional survey of the subjective mental health and well-being of New Zealand healthcare and ‘other’ essential workers during the COVID-19 lockdown. BMJ Open, 11(7), e048107.
Chambers, C. N., Frampton, C. M., Barclay, M., & McKee, M. (2016). Burnout prevalence in New Zealand’s public hospital senior medical workforce: a cross-sectional mixed methods study. BMJ Open, 6(11), e013947.
Farrell, S. M., Moir, F., Molodynski, A., & Bhugra, D. (2019). Psychological wellbeing, burnout and substance use amongst medical students in New Zealand. International Review of Psychiatry, 31(7-8), 630-636.
Poghosyan, L., Clarke, S. P., Finlayson, M., & Aiken, L. H. (2010). Nurse burnout and quality of care: Cross-national investigation in six countries. Research in Nursing & Health, 33(4), 288-298.
RNZCGP. (2021, 9 March 2021). Survey results raise concern for the health and sustainability of general practice https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/RNZCGP/News/College_news/2021/Survey_results_raise_concern_for_the_health_and_sustainability_of_general_practice.aspx
Tawfik, D. S., Profit, J., Morgenthaler, T. I., Satele, D. V., Sinsky, C. A., Dyrbye, L. N., Tutty, M. A., West, C. P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2018). Physician Burnout, Well-being, and Work Unit Safety Grades in Relationship to Reported Medical Errors. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93, 1571+.
Dr Susan J. Hawken
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13-15 Bute Rd, Browns Bay
Auckland
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