The experience of physician supervisors with clerkship students: a qualitative study
Charlotte Silén1, Anna Kiessling2, Jonas Spaak2 and Peter Henriksson2
1Centre for Medical Education, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
2Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Submitted: 21/04/2011; Accepted: 30/06/2011; Published: 05/07/2011
Int J Med Educ. 2011; 2:56-63; doi: 10.5116/ijme.4e0c.23de
© 2011 Charlotte Silén et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use of work provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe full-time physicians' conceptions of being clinical supervisors when introducing students to professional practice and having dedicated time with their students without the distraction of other clinical duties.
Methods: The study was conducted during 2009 at Danderyd University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden where 61 physicians have had the role of full-time supervisors. Nineteen of these physicians, both male (n = 9) and female (n = 10) varying in age and experience, were interviewed regarding their experience following supervision of first-year clerkship students which were undertaking five weeks of introductory course in clinical skills. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematised using inductive content analysis according to theoretical assumptions of communication theory.
Results: Being present in the moment and not having to worry about other clinical duties was identified as the most fundamental theme for supervision. Participants stressed the importance of dedicated time to fulfil their role. Three other themes: being a catalyst for learning; being an expert; and supporting students' sense of coherence, revealed how supervisors support student learning in different ways.
Conclusions: Full-time supervision allowed physicians to pay close attention to the student's learning process as well as their interaction with patients or PBL group members. They were able to use their experience and expertise to engage students in their own learning and to give skilful feedback. Furthermore, they were able to create a coherent learning environment for students to realise the true meaning of being a doctor. These factors may become important in design of clinical courses.