Training for supervisors of interns

Clinical supervision courses

The Council offers two clinical supervision courses for clinical supervisors and prevocational educational supervisors. The courses supplement training that supervisors receive from training providers and medical colleges. Courses are available to all supervisors through the ePort platform.

The Level 1 Clinical Supervision Skills Course includes:

1. An short introductory video
2. Three short interactive videos presented by Connect Communications, each with self-reflective exercises:
   • supervision styles
   • how to give feedback
   • the challenge of low insight and debriefing a critical incident
3. A demonstration on how to give feedback.

Connect communications offer a Level 2 Applied Clinical Supervision Course which helps clinical supervisors and prevocational educational supervisors build confidence in managing challenging conversations. For example, talking to an intern who has a significant illness that is affecting their performance. Or knowing how to talk to an intern who is defensive and seems disengaged.

This can be a face-to-face workshop, hosted by your training provider or your medical college, or an online workshop using ‘teams’ of actors in virtual breakout rooms. These workshops will give you the opportunity to ask questions, fine-tune skills in a practical way, and focus on particular areas of concern.

To enquire contact Dr Renske van den Brink at renske@connectcomm.co.nz.

• Connect Communications

  Connect Communications provide high-quality communication and supervision skills training programmes for a range of health professionals throughout Australia and New Zealand.

• ePort

  ePort is a national e-portfolio programme which will record and track skills and knowledge acquired by new doctors during their first two years of medical practice.

Training for prevocational educational supervisors

Lunchtime sessions

In addition to training offered by the provider, the Council runs quarterly lunchtime sessions for prevocational educational supervisors. The topics covered in these sessions can range from PES ePort responsibilities, PES role requirements, supporting interns etc. The lunchtime session topics are announced in the quarterly PES newsletter.

Annual meetings

As per the Council’s accreditation standards, prevocational educational supervisors must attend an annual prevocational educational supervisor meeting facilitated by Council. These are held in Wellington, Auckland and via Zoom. The annual meetings are a good opportunity for prevocational educational supervisors to meet colleagues and share highlights and challenges in their roles as supervisors. Previous annual meeting topics have included, cultural safety, informed consent, supporting interns and intern wellbeing.

Training around use of ePort for prevocational educational supervisors

Here is a video that explains the functions of ePort and a prevocational educational supervisor’s role and responsibilities within ePort. We suggest watching this video when you are appointed as a prevocational educational supervisor or if you want a refresher on your ePort responsibilities.