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Placement Supervisor Resource
Workbook two: Effective working relationships, communication and interpersonal skills to support learning
When you have completed this section and the activities contained within it, you should be able to:
- Discuss the importance of the supervisor/student relationship
- Identify key characteristics and skills of effective supervision
- Explain the need for equality and consistency
The supervisor/student relationship
The relationship can affect the student's motivation to learn, their sense of belonging to the placement, their confidence and even their commitment to the type of work as a future career. It is therefore important to establish a good rapport and to start to build the foundations for a strong working relationship right from the start. It is helpful to set clear expectations of the supervisory process and form a mutual respect from your first meeting onward.
Counselling theorists Rogers and Frieberg (1994) suggest that the following conditions are needed to establish a trusting, working relationship
- Acceptance - accepting the student for who they are, having mutual respect
- Genuineness - being open and honest
- Empathy - being able to see things from the perspective of the student
Although the relationship should be friendly and form a partnership for learning there must also be professional boundaries to ensure that there is objectivity in judging the student’s practice. A good supervisory relationship is one where both the student and the supervisor feel comfortable to give and receive constructive feedback.
Essential skills, qualities and attributes of effective supervisors
Activity
Think about an effective supervisor at your work or in any other situation. What skills, qualities and attributes do you think makes them an effective supervisor?
This should have been a straightforward task for anyone that has had a mentor or supervisor either during training or in the workplace. I am sure it brought back memories of those that were good.......... and perhaps those maybe not so good.
You may have come up with some of the following:
Several studies on the qualities of effective supervisors including Gray and Smith (2000) and Huybrecht et al. (2010) have identified similar lists. Hodgson and Scanlon (2013) extended this list to include approachable, honest, friendly, experienced, enthusiastic, willing to spend time with the student, a strong belief in the student’s capabilities, ability to challenge, support and encourage the student.
The list could go on and on and I am sure that you will have many more ideas. What is clear is that a good placement supervisor is many different things to many different people.
Watch
Now watch the video below to see what some of our students say helps make a good supervisor.
Activity: Self-reflection of skills and qualities
This next activity involves self-reflection. Later we will discuss the importance of self-refection from a learning perspective. Asking simple questions such as 'what did I do well in that situation?', 'what could I do differently?' etc. can help us to improve practice. People often focus on the negative, however, self-reflection should also help you to recognise areas of good practice.
Think carefully about all of the attributes and skills listed in the table below. For each rate yourself from 1-4 (1 needing development to 4 skilled).
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Attribute/Skill |
1 (needing development) |
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4 (skilled) |
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Approachable |
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Friendly |
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Fair |
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Diplomatic |
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Enthusiastic |
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Supportive |
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Encouraging |
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Able to challenge constructively |
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Patient |
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Positive |
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Flexible |
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Non-judgemental |
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Communication skills |
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Listening skills |
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Think of strategies to develop these areas. Also take time to recognise the areas that you have scored highly.
Communication skills
Good communication skills are perhaps the most important tools that a supervisor needs to be effective. The ability to communicate information accurately, clearly and as intended, is essential in supervision. At the most basic level communication skills are what enable us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us. However it is much more complex than this. Williams (2002) identifies communication as having the following functions (see diagram opposite - click to enlarge).
Good communication requires paying attention not only to what you say but also to how you say it, what your body language coveys and the context in which the communication takes place. It also involves active listening, understanding both the content of what is being said and also any underlying non-verbal cues. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, gestures displayed through body language and even the physical distance between the communicators.
Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. One way that you can help ensure that you have understood what has been said is to reflect the conversation, repeating or paraphrasing what the speaker has said to clarify that you have understood them.
Activity: Think of a recent conversation and reflect on the following
- Did you successfully convey the information?
- What was your body language, tone, pitch etc.?
- Did you listen carefully to the return communication?
- Did you read the underlying body language, tone, pitch etc.?
- Did you check that you had a shared understanding of the communication?
We don’t consciously check all of this for every conversation but being aware of all aspects of communication makes for more effective and meaningful communication.
Tips to help optimise effective communication
- Minimise the possibility of distractions or interruptions
- Be clear about the meaning of what is being conveyed
- Ensure that the content of what is said matches the way it is said and is reinforced by appropriate body language
- Check the recipients understanding of what has been said
Further Reading
There are lots of books and websites, far too many to mention, that can help you to develop mindful and effective communication skills. Have a look in your local library or search the internet to find books and articles that will suit your learning style and needs. Here are few to start with:
Free e-learning course by the Social Care Institute of Excellence (2008 ) Communication skills e-learning [online]. Available from <https://www.scie.org.uk/e-learning/communication-skills> [29 November 2019]
Dixon, T. and O’Hara, M. (n.d.) Making Practice Based Learning Work: Communication Skills [online]. Available from <http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415537902/data/learning/11_communication%20skills.pdf> [29 November 2019]
Equality and consistency
There are a number of legislative polices and good practice details that must be adhered to in placement. It is important that the placement supervisor is familiar with these and embeds them into their role where relevant. These include, for example, health and safety, equality and diversity, general data protection, insurance and liability etc. All of these issues and more should have been discussed with the organisation when placement agreements were established with the university. Details of these can be found in The UHI Student Placement Policy and Guidance document.
Watch
All placement activity should take into account the Equality Act (2010) which protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. The Act gives protection from discrimination to anyone because of:
- age
- gender reassignment
- being married or in a civil partnership
- being pregnant or on maternity leave
- disability
- race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
In alignment with the Equality Act (2010) it is unlawful for individuals with disabilities to be treated less favourably because of their disability. If the student has declared their disability to the university then, with the student’s permission, this information should have been shared with the placement provider before the start of the placement helping smooth transition to placement. Pre-planning can enable any reasonable adjustments or necessary measures to be put in place allowing the student access to the placement.
Additional advice can be gained from the placement co-ordinator. It is also helpful to talk with the student concerned as they will be best placed to explain their needs and any adaptations that may be required. At the first supervisory meeting it is good practice to discuss the student’s needs, any anxieties etc. allowing open discussion. Any reasonable adjustments agreed should be recorded.
Every student should have an equal and effective opportunity to access, achieve and be successful in their programme of learning. This principle is also applicable to placement experience.
Using your skills
After reading this section it may seem that being a being a placement supervisor is a tall order. However, you probably use these skills and qualities every day in the workplace setting dealing with clients and working within teams. Placement supervision is about using these skills to facilitate the development of the student so that they gain confidence and become more independent as their time in placement progresses.
References
- Dale, B., Leland, A. and Gunner Dale, J. (2013) ‘What Factors Facilitate Good Learning Experiences in Clinical Studies in Nursing: Bachelor Students’ Perceptions’ ISRN Nursing Volume 2013 Article, ID 628679 68-94
- Helminen, K., Tossavainen, K. and Turenen, H. (2014) ‘Assessing clinical practice of student nurses: views of teachers, mentors and students’ Nurse Education Today 34, 1161-1166
- Gray, M.A. and Smith, L.M. (2000) ‘The qualities of an effective mentor from the student nurse’s perspective : findings of a longitudinal qualitative study’ Journal of Advanced Nursing 32 (6), 1542-9
- Gov.UK (2010) Equality Act - Guidance [online]. Available from <https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance> [7 August 2019]
- Hodgson, A.K and Scanlon, J.M. (2013) ‘A concept of analysis of mentoring in nursing leadership’ Open Journal of Nursing 3 (2003), 389-94
- Huybrecht, S., Loeckx, W. Quaeyhaegens, Y., De Tobel, D. and Mistiaen, W. (2010) ‘Mentoring in nursing education : perceived characteristics of mentors and the course consequences of mentorship’ Nurse Education Today 31 (3), 274-8
- Papastavrou, E., Dimitriadou, M., Tsangari, H. and Andreou, C. (2016) 'Nursing students’satisfaction of the clinical learning environment: A research study’ BMC Nursing 15(44),1-10
- Rogers, C. and Frieberg, H.J. (1994) Freedom to learn 3rd Edn. New Jersey: Pearson Education
- Williams, D. (2002) Communication Skills in Practice : A practical guide for Health Professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley