In this paper, the cultural realities of clinical supervision (CS) in acute inpatient mental health settings are explored using an ethnographic approach. Findings suggest that there is a verbal acceptance of CS by mental health nurses but a cultural belief that it has limited experiential value and, thus, a cautious attitude towards its adoption is in practice. This may, in part, be attributable to many nurses believing that they are already undertaking CS, although the informal supervision described does not fit with established definitions of formal supervision. The language used by nurses demonstrates an understanding and appreciation of the benefits of clinical supervision. However, the belief that existing structures inherent to nursing practice already convey these benefits may contribute to the culture of passive resistance to clinical supervision revealed by the findings. This study contributes to current discussions regarding the purpose of CS, the realities of its implementation, and its role relative to existing professional support opportunities.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	clinical supervision, mental health nursing
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Health services and systems
Research Field:	Mental health services
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public health (excl. specific population health)
Objective Field:	Mental health
UTAS Author:	Cleary, M (Professor Michelle Cleary)
ID Code:	108449
Year Published:	2005
Deposited By:	Health Sciences
Deposited On:	2016-04-19
Last Modified:	2016-05-20
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