Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Level 2, Building 5, 14 University Drive, Robina, QLD, 4226, Australia.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Feb 9;23(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04056-z.
Clinical supervisors play an integral role in preparing podiatry graduates for clinical practice. Not enough is, however, known about how prepared podiatry clinical supervisors are for this role, in terms of training received and the challenges they face in the role. Informed by previous qualitative research, this study extends our understanding of what it means to be a clinical supervisor in podiatry.
An online survey comprising closed and open-ended questions gathered data from 67 registered podiatrists who were also clinical supervisors. Descriptive analysis was undertaken. Chi-square analysis was used to test independence between preparedness for supervision and variables of interest (e.g. training received). Item analysis was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Kendall's Tau to determine whether statistically significant associations existed across the broad challenges previously identified (i.e. supervisor-specific, curriculum and students). Open-ended comments were analysed using content analysis.
Generally, most supervisors (64%, 43/67) initially felt " prepared" to supervise, despite the majority (58%, 39/67) not having received any training or educational support. Overwhelming, supervisors (97%, 65/67) considered universities responsible for ensuring quality clinical supervision. They perceived many of the previously identified supervisor-specific challenges (e.g. time-consuming), curriculum issues (e.g. limited hands-on patient contact in private practice placements) and student deficiencies (e.g. poor time management). Positive correlations were found across the three sets of challenges, with the strongest measure of association found between overall student deficiencies and overall curriculum issues (p < .001).
These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of clinical supervision in podiatry. The study identified inconsistent support for clinical supervisors from partner universities. This study found a clear desire and need for supervisor training. A partnership approach is recommended in which universities work with clinical supervisors to address their overall challenges in terms of supervisor professional development, paying attention to curriculum issues, and improving student preparedness during placements.
临床导师在为足病学毕业生做好临床实践准备方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。然而，人们对足病学临床导师在培训方面的准备情况以及他们在该角色中面临的挑战了解甚少。本研究以前期的定性研究为基础，进一步了解了成为足病学临床导师的含义。
一项在线调查包含了封闭和开放式问题，共收集了 67 名注册足病医生（同时也是临床导师）的数据。采用描述性分析。卡方分析用于测试对监督准备情况和感兴趣变量（例如：接受的培训）之间的独立性。使用克朗巴赫的 alpha 系数和 Kendall 的 Tau 评估项目分析，以确定先前确定的广泛挑战之间是否存在统计学上显著的关联（即：导师特定的、课程和学生）。使用内容分析法对开放式评论进行分析。
总体而言，大多数导师（64%，43/67）最初感到“有准备”进行监督，尽管大多数（58%，39/67）没有接受任何培训或教育支持。绝大多数导师（97%，65/67）认为大学有责任确保临床监督的质量。他们认为许多先前确定的导师特定挑战（例如：耗时）、课程问题（例如：私人执业实习中有限的动手接触患者）和学生缺陷（例如：时间管理不善）。在三个挑战组之间发现了正相关，在整体学生缺陷和整体课程问题之间发现了最强的关联度（p<0.001）。
这些发现有助于更深入地了解足病学的临床监督。研究发现，合作大学对临床导师的支持不一致。本研究发现了对导师培训的强烈需求和愿望。建议采用伙伴关系的方法，大学与临床导师合作，解决他们在导师专业发展、关注课程问题以及在实习期间提高学生准备程度方面的整体挑战。
