2 August 2007
Consultants see educational supervision as little more than "a form-filling exercise"
Many paediatric specialist registrars do not value the educational supervision they receive from consultants and find that it is little more than a form-filling exercise, according to an article published in the Royal Society of Medicine.
The study, conducted by Ben Lloyd, a Consultant Paediatrician, and Debbie Becker, a General Practitioner, highlights that, although viewed as a central part of training for all doctors in the UK, the educational supervision received by specialist registrars is in many cases flawed.
The report highlights that many trainees found educational supervision of little value and “more than a third of trainees rated the educational supervision they had received as being closer to ‘a complete waste of time’ than to ‘excellent’” writes Ben Lloyd.
In the study, 49% of the respondents stated that the educational supervisors weren’t showing commitment to educational supervision and 20% indicated that educational supervisors failed to give encouragement.
One trainee stated that “some consultants are totally unaware of what is required and see the process as a form-filling exercise, forced upon them, an inconvenience.” This is alarming considering that an educational supervisor has been described as “perhaps the most crucial figure in ensuring the effectiveness of postgraduate medical training.”2
The study suggests that a consultant wanting to be a more effective educational supervisor should learn to listen, to understand the needs of the individual trainee, and above all, be committed to the task of being an educational supervisor.
2 Coles C. The educational supervisor’s role in medicine. In: Peyton JWR (ed). Teaching and Learning in Medical Practice. Rickmansworth: Manticore Europe Limited, 1998.
[ends]
‘Paediatric specialist registrars’ views of educational supervision and how it can be improved: a questionnaire study’ is published in the August issue (Vol.100) of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
JRSM is the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. It has been published continuously since 1809. Its Editor is Dr Kamran Abbasi.
The article will be available free at www.jrsm.org from Monday 6 August.
Ben Lloyd is available for comment.
