Despite acknowledging tensions, we argue that clinical supervision is both necessary and beneficial. It can be advantageous to individual practitioners and professional groups in enhancing practice and accountability, and promoting professional development.

The concept of clinical supervision as a means of professional learning and support is well known within some health and social care professions, but there is a dearth of literature related to clinical supervision and physiotherapy. The aim of this article was to report the findings of an exploratory study of clinical supervision in physiotherapy. A mixed methodological approach was adopted, through the use of self‐administered questionnaires supplemented by a small number of interviews. The findings suggest that clinical supervision is not widespread and where it has been implemented it is difficult to sustain. Different structural models were adopted in different locations. The data revealed that support for continuing professional development was a highly rated purpose for clinical supervision. Respondents used supervision for different purposes at different times depending on their individual needs, suggesting that no single model is suitable for all occasions. Any model adopted must be flexible enough to suit the needs of both the individual and the organization. Proctor's identification of the normative, formative and restorative functions of clinical supervision appears to fit current aspirations and practices very well. Support and enthusiasm for clinical supervision was high. Respondents expressed a need to take time for supervision and also valued the time it gave them; but heavy workloads, busy schedules and staff shortages frequently meant that supervision was not seen as a priority.

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The authors work as online tutors for a BSc (Hons) physiotherapy programme at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. This paper represents a stage in our developing understanding, over a 3 year period, of the impact of group dynamics on online interaction among physiotherapy students engaged in sharing with their peers their first experiences of clinical practice. The literature exploring online interaction tends to situate meaning either in theories borrowed from conventional face-to-face interaction or on virtual interaction. Research focusing on 'blended learning' that combines face-to-face and online interaction is limited in terms of considering how group dynamics impact groups that are constituted and reconstituted in the two very different learning contexts. Using a case study approach, the authors consider how group dynamics change as groups move from face-to-face to online collaboration in pursuit of learning objectives. We characterize typical features of the cases and draw conclusions based on similarities and differences. Findings suggest that group learning is linked to group cohesion, which appears to be mediated by social and cognitive factors that students bring with them. Social presence appears vital to positive group dynamics and is a precursor to cognitive presence, which develops when groups rise above their desire to be sociable and supportive. Group dynamics, whether positive or negative, and their consequent impact on interaction appear to be relatively stable across contexts once the group scene is set through face-to-face interaction. Engagement and interaction of individual students, however, can alter when face-to-face interaction moves online.

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