Clinical supervision for the psychiatric mental health nurse

Introduction

Clinical supervision is a form of supervision used to provide clinical expertise and guidance. It is an important part of the mental health nurse’s role, particularly in the area of psychiatric mental health nursing. It provides valuable opportunities for nurses to be supported by their supervisor in the process of developing their own professional knowledge, skills and abilities as well as providing an opportunity for both parties to reflect on practice and discuss issues around quality improvement or professional standards. This article will outline some key points about clinical supervision for nurses in practice or as a resource for other supervisors

Clinical supervision for the psychiatric mental health nurse

Clinical supervision is a form of guidance and support given to professionals in their career development. It involves the supervision of trainees (assistants) by more experienced nurses. Clinical supervisors provide guidance and feedback to assist trainees in developing their skills, knowledge and confidence.

The role of clinical supervisor can vary depending on the needs of your organisation or profession. You may be asked to conduct sessions with students who are beginning work as psychiatric mental health nurses, or perhaps conduct one-to-one mentoring sessions with junior members within your team who require extra support from an experienced professional mentor who has gained experience through previous training programmes and placements within various organisations across Australia including hospitals/health centres; community service providers such as charities; private practitioners; residential homes etcetera…

Overview of clinical supervision for nurses in practice or as a resource for other supervisors

Clinical supervision is a professional relationship between a supervising clinician and the supervisee. The purpose of clinical supervision is to help provide feedback, guidance, and support to the nurse in order to improve their practice.

Clinical supervision can be done by following one or more of these models:

• Mentorship – A mentor provides advice and guidance on how best to use nursing skills in their work setting. This type of relationship is informal and based on mutual respect between mentor and mentee (The Mentor’s Guide).

• Supervision – Supervisors provide regular feedback about performance so that nurses can learn from mistakes made during interactions with patients or clients (Clinical Nurse Manager). Supervision refers specifically to having someone else watch over you while performing tasks at work; however it does not necessarily mean that they are teaching you new things about how things should be done differently than what you’re currently doing now!

One on one

One on one supervision is the best way to help you develop as a clinical mental health nurse. It provides you with the opportunity to work on specific issues and problems, rather than being responsible for the welfare of a group or team. This allows you to get more individualized attention from your supervisor, who can give detailed feedback on areas where you need improvement in order to meet their expectations.

One on one sessions should be structured differently than group meetings: there are no preset agendas or time limits; they tend not to last longer than 45-60 minutes at most (depending on what needs discussing). You should make sure that any notes taken during these sessions are kept confidential between yourself and your supervisor

Peer group supervision

Peer supervision is a form of clinical supervision in which colleagues from the same field meet regularly to discuss a specific clinical case or cases. These meetings can be informal, with no regular structure or agenda, and they may be held either in person or via conference calls.

The main benefit of peer supervision is that it allows you to share your experiences with other professionals who are likely to have similar concerns as you do when it comes time for them to make decisions about treatment plans for their patients (e.g., whether medication should be used).

Case conference supervision

Case conference supervision is a type of clinical supervision that provides a forum for discussion of cases and events, as well as feedback on clinical performance. Case conference supervision can be used to discuss the implications of new developments in practice, such as changes in legislation or policy; it may also involve the review of research findings.

Benefits of clinical supervision for nurses and organisations alike

As a psychiatric mental health nurse, you will benefit from clinical supervision. A supervising clinician can support and guide you through your role as a nurse in order to achieve the best clinical outcomes for your patients.

Clinical supervision helps nurses develop their knowledge about boundaries and maintaining therapeutic relationships with patients. It improves assessment and diagnosis of needs, communication skills (including listening), team work skills (including conflict resolution), patient care methods and clinical outcomes including improved patient satisfaction rates, enhanced nurse satisfaction rates and reduced errors due to understaffing etc..

Professional development, reflective practice and professional standards

Professional development, reflective practice and professional standards

Reflective practice is a process of self-analysis and critical thinking that helps to improve the quality of care delivered to patients. It’s also an important part of professional development because it helps nurses develop their knowledge base as well as their ability to work effectively with others within their teams/clinics. Reflective practitioners are able to identify gaps in knowledge or skills, clarify how they might be improved through practice experiences and share this information with colleagues so that they too can benefit from these changes (Dawson et al., 2010).

Reflection is an essential component of clinical supervision because it enables supervisors’ observations of the supervisee’s performance (Higgins & Henry, 2011). This provides valuable feedback on areas where improvement could be made so that future supervision sessions may result in greater success for all involved parties involved (Higgins & Henry 2011).

Improved assessment and diagnosis of patients’ needs

The most important thing a clinical supervisor can do is to assess and diagnose patients’ needs. This means understanding the patient’s perspective, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. It also means understanding how they present themselves to you, how they present themselves to others (such as family members or staff), what kind of information they need from you in order for them to feel comfortable talking about their diagnosis/treatment plan with other people.

Another important skill for your clinical supervisor role is teaching skills – helping new nurses learn how best practice changes in mental health care settings without losing sight of who each individual person is individually

Better understanding of boundaries and maintaining a therapeutic relationship with patients.

You will be expected to maintain a therapeutic relationship with your supervisee. This can be a difficult task, especially if you feel that your own needs are not being met by the person you are supervising. However, it is important that we do not confuse the role of clinical supervisor with that of psychotherapist or counselor. As part of our role as mental health nurses in acute care settings, we have an obligation to provide appropriate care for our patients and their families/caregivers; however, this does not mean that we should take on all aspects of their lives as well as those related solely to their illness (i.e., marital problems).

It is also important for any individual who undertakes clinical supervision duties within an agency setting—whether it be an individual psychiatrist or psychologist—to ensure they understand boundaries between themselves and their supervisee(s) at all times throughout any such engagement.

Conclusion

The aim of clinical supervision is to provide a supportive environment for the clinical nurse with an opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and experience. It is also a way of supporting other nurses in their roles as supervisors or mentors. This blog post has provided an overview of clinical supervision for nurses in practice or as a resource for other supervisors.