How do you know your teaching has been effective? A process of evaluation needs to be established to ensure that students have achieved their learning objectives and patient/client services are optimal. Evaluation is part of an ongoing cycle of development whereby opportunities for improvement are identified (process, organisational, personal), action taken and outcomes re-evaluated. Typical means of evaluation may be:
- formal academic results of students,
- feedback from learners,
- And reflection on, and analysis of processes and practices.
Evaluating clinical supervisor skills
The student/s have left, the placement is over…What now? This is the time to learn from your experiences, reflect on what has happened and continue to develop your clinical supervision skills for future student placements.
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Supervisor self-reflection
It is important for a supervisor to reflect on their placement experience to identify areas where development might further their clinical supervision skills and gain confidence in continued, edge, skills and confidence to support allied health student placements.
Student supervisor self-reflection might include evaluation of knowledge, skills and confidence in:
- Preparation and planning of the student placement
- Facilitation of the learning process
- Ability to problem solve
- Communication skills and styles
- Quality and Safety
- Meeting organisational demands
Depending on your setting, you may wish to develop your own guided evaluation and reflection. Alternatively, you can use existing tools, some examples are provided below:
- Clinical Learning Education and Research Service (CLEaRS), Northern Territory Government Allied Health Clinical Educator Skills Review
- Curtin University – Strategies for Fieldwork Supervisors
- Health Education and Training (HETI)- My Training Space – Self assessment tool
- HETI Superguide
- Maastricht Questionnaire for supervisors (see below for this tool)
- SA Health Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework
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Student feedback tools to aid supervisor self-reflection
Seeking feedback from learners can be a first step in assisting a student supervisor reflect on their supervisory skills. Feedback could be sought from the student on:
- Adequacy of introduction and orientation
- Learning goals and performance expectations
- Placement elements, for example case load and volume
- Adequacy of supervision, for example access to supervisor, type and frequency of informal and formal supervision activities
- Type and frequency of feedback
- Ability to work as part of a department or multidisciplinary team
- Adequacy of the physical environment to support learning
- The best elements of the placement
- The best elements of supervision
- Areas for improvement for placement and/or supervision
Again, depending on your setting, you may wish to develop an evaluation tool, or access existing examples, some of which are included below:
- Clinical Placement Quality Survey (CPQS-S) - a psychometrically robust survey designed to evaluate allied health students’ perception of placement
- Clinical Learning Education and Research Service (CLEaRS), Northern Territory Government Student Feedback Survey
- Maastricht Questionnaire for students (See below)
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Assessment of placement quality
- Clinical Placement Quality Survey (CPQS-S) - The CPQS-S is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating allied health students’ perception of a quality clinical placement experience, underpinned by current best practice frameworks. The CPQS-S provides all stakeholders with an easily scalable and objective method for evaluating placement quality to engage in quality improvement processes. Further information is found at: Jones, T., Kirwan, G. W., Howells, S., & Hams, A. (2022). Clinical Placement Quality Survey–Student (CPQS-S): A tool to evaluate allied health placement quality. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 23(4), 579-593. https://www.ijwil.org/files/IJWIL_23_4_579_593.pdf
- A suite of placement quality resources has been developed, supported by the Sydney Integrated Clinical Training Network and the University of Sydney Education Innovation Grant. These tools gather perceptions of placement from four stakeholder groups: Students , Clinical (Academic), Clinical (Supervisors) and Placement Site Managers. The student survey has been validated. Further information is found at: McAllister, L., Nagarajan, S., Scott, L., Smith, L., & Thomson, K. (2018). ‘Developing measures of placement quality in allied health, dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy’. International Journal of Practice-based Learning in Health and Social Care, 6 (2), 31–47. https://doi.org/10.18552/ijpblhsc.v6i2.493
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Evaluating supervisor performance and resources to support professional development
In addition to the examples above there are also a series of resources that can aid the professional development of clinical supervisors through content, reflection and online learning. Some of these include:
- National Clinical Supervision Competency Resource in Victoria The National Clinical Supervision Competency Resource describes the core competencies of clinical supervision, across all allied health professions, settings and sectors, and provides access to a variety of resources using different mediums, including the Clinical Supervision Skills Review Tool
- Western Australia Clinical Training Network – provides training and development opportunities for clinical supervisors with identified development needs and hosts the On Track eLearning package which provides insight into evaluating student placements
- SA Health – Professional Development and Training in Allied Health provides a series of resources relating to allied health student placements and clinical supervision
- Health Education and Training (HETI) Clinical Supervision Training Space – provides a range of resources designed to improve clinical supervision
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Useful ClinEdAus links
Core Clinical Education Skills – Characteristics of effective clinical educators
Once you have reflected on the placement, it is an ideal time to start planning for future placements. Visit: Preparing for and Managing Clinical Placements
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Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire For Clinical Educators
Clinical Supervisors: SELF ASSESSMENT FORM
Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire1
This is a TWO sided form.
Name:________________
Date: _________________
Years of specialist practice: ¨ 0-4 ¨ 5- 9 ¨ 10-14 ¨14+
Primary practice location:
Previous experience in clinical supervision/teaching development:
¨ None
¨ Basic professional development: workshops/training < 20 hours in total
¨ Advanced professional development: workshops/training >= 20 hours in total
¨ Qualification (e.g. CERT IV, Masters of Nursing Education, Graduate Certificate of Health Professional Education)
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Fully Fully
Disagree Agree
Unable to comment
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2
3
4
5
1. I consistently demonstrate how to perform clinical tasks 2. I clearly explain the important element for the execution of a given task 3. I create sufficient opportunity for the student to observe me 4. I serve as a role model as to the kind of health professional students would like to become 5. I observe students multiple times during patient encounters 6. I give useful feedback during or immediately after direct observation of the student’s patient encounters 7. I help the student understand which aspects they need to improve 8. I adjust my teaching activities to the level of experience of students 9. I offer sufficient opportunities to students to perform activities independently 10. I support students in activities that they find difficult to perform 11. I gradually reduce the support given to allow students to perform certain activities more independently Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Fully Fully
Disagree Agree
Unable to comment
1
2
3
4
5
12. I ask students to provide a rationale for their actions 13. I help students become aware of gaps in their knowledge and skills 14. I ask students questions aimed at increasing their understanding 15. I encourage students to ask me questions to increase their understanding 16. I stimulate students to explore their strengths and weaknesses 17. I stimulate students to consider how they could improve their strengths and weaknesses 18. I encourage students to formulate learning goals 19. I encourage students to pursue their learning goals 20. I encourage students to learn new things 21. I create a safe learning environment 22. I take sufficient time to supervise students 23. I am genuinely interested in the students 24. I show respect to students Rate yourself on an overall assessment (1 – 10) of your own clinical supervision performance (10=excellent):
_______/10
What are your strengths as a clinical supervisor?
What areas would you like to improve on as a clinical supervisor?
To access full article and copyright permissions for this tool, please access: Stalmeijer R, Dolmans D, Wolfhagen I, et al. 2010. Combined student ratings and self-assessment provide useful feedback for clinical teachers. Advances in Health Sciences Education 15(3) 315-28. doi: 10.1007/s10459-009-9199-6
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Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire For Students
Multisource Feedback for Clinical Supervisors: STUDENT FORM
Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire1
This is a TWO sided form. All responses will be collated and returned to the clinical supervisor.
Clinical Supervisor’s Surname: ____________________
First name: _____________________
Date: _________________
Health profession you are studying (e.g. nursing, physiotherapy, medicine etc): _______________
Your year of study: ________________
Length of time you have worked with this clinical educator: ____________ (indicate days or weeks or months)
Please indicate your level of agreement with the
following statements:
Fully Fully
Disagree Agree
Unable to comment
1
2
3
4
5
This clinical supervisor:
1. consistently demonstrated how different tasks
should be performed
2. clearly explained the important elements for the execution of a given task 3. created sufficient opportunities for me to
observe them.
4. was a role model as to the kind of health
professional I wish to become
This clinical supervisor:
5. observed me multiple times during patient
encounters
6. provided me with useful feedback during or following direct observation of patient encounters
7. helped me understand which aspects I needed to improve This clinical supervisor:
8. Adjusted teaching activities to my level of experience 9. Offered me sufficient opportunities to perform activities independently 10. Supported me in activities I find difficult to perform 11. Gradually reduced the support given to allow me to perform certain activities more independently Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Fully Fully
Disagree Agree
Unable to comment
1
2
3
4
5
This clinical supervisor:
12. Asked me to provide a rationale for my actions 13. Helped me to become aware of gaps in my knowledge and skills 14. Asked me questions aimed at increasing my understanding 15. Encouraged me to ask questions to increase my understanding This clinical supervisor:
16. Stimulated me to explore my strengths and weaknesses 17. Stimulated me to consider how I might improve my strengths and weaknesses This clinical supervisor:
18. Encouraged me to formulate learning goals. 19. Encouraged me to pursue my learning goals. 20. Encouraged me to learn new things. This clinical supervisor:
21. Created a safe learning environment. 22. Took sufficient time to supervise me. 23. Was genuinely interested in me as a student. 24. Showed me respect. Overall, give this clinical supervisor an overall assessment (1 – 10) of their clinical teaching performance (10 =excellent):
_______/10
What are the strengths of this clinical supervisor?
Which aspects of the performance of this clinical supervisor can be improved?
To access full article and copyright permissions for this tool, please access: Stalmeijer R, Dolmans D, Wolfhagen I, et al. 2010. Combined student ratings and self-assessment provide useful feedback for clinical teachers. Advances in Health Sciences Education 15(3) 315-28. doi: 10.1007/s10459-009-9199-6
