Learning to be a doctoral supervisor: Experiences and views of nurse supervisors of higher degree research students

Title
Learning to be a doctoral supervisor: Experiences and views of nurse supervisors of higher degree research students
Publication Date
2021-04
Author(s)
Jackson, Debra
Power, Tamara
Usher, Kim
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9686-5003
Email: kusher@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:kusher
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1111/jocn.15651
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/70623
Abstract

Aims and objectives: Given the importance of doctoral training to the future of the discipline, we sought to gain insight into nurse doctoral supervisor's experiences of supervision training and preparation and their views on what quality training for doctoral supervisors in nursing would look like.

Background: Doctorally prepared nurses have been found to contribute significantly to improvements in knowledge to inform patient care; yet there is little focus on the development of this aspect of the nursing workforce, and little evaluation of supervisor training, confidence and competence.

Design: Qualitative storytelling, semi-structured interviews were conducted via a videoconferencing programme, audio-recorded and thematically analysed with twentyone experienced nurse doctoral supervisors. Findings are reported in line with the COREQ guidelines.

Results: Thematic analysis revealed four themes: ‘I had a great mentor’: the importance of mentorship and role modelling; ‘Sometimes it's just trial and error’: learning through experience; ‘It's like tick a box’: strengths and limitations of formal supervisor training; and ‘The training should be more holistic’: what should be in supervisor training.

Conclusions: We recommend doctoral supervisors be encouraged to seek mentoring for supervision, formal mentoring and clinical supervision for the first five completions and the formation of discipline-based supervisor learning groups in nursing as an adjunct to generic mandatory supervisor training.

Relevance to clinical practice: Further development of clinical nursing is inextricably linked to quality nurse-led research, and doctorally prepared nurses are essential to the continued development of nursing as an evidence-informed practice discipline. Quality doctoral supervision for and by nurses is crucial and we argue that focus must be given to ensuring the development of a skilled doctoral supervision workforce in nursing.

Link
Citation
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(7-8), p. 1060-1069
ISSN
1365-2702
0962-1067
Start page
1060
End page
1069

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