The emphasis on differences in the phenomenographical research approach makes it distinct from other research approaches, and accordingly, it seems to be reasonable to incorporate knowledge of this kind in the professional education of health care personnel.

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Being a mentor was perceived as rewarding and may lead to both personal and professional development.

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The aim of this study was to describe the different ways medical teachers understand what constitutes a good teacher and a good clinical supervisor and what similarities and differences they report between them. Data was gathered through interviews with 39 undergraduate teachers at a medical university. The transcripts were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Three categories regarding what it means to be a good teacher and clinical supervisor respectively were identified. Similarities between the two hierarchies were seen with the most inclusive categories of understanding what it means to be a good teacher or supervisor focuses on students' learning or growth. In the third category a good teacher and supervisor is seen as someone who conveys knowledge or shows how things are done. However, the role of being a clinical supervisor was perceived as containing a clearer focus on professional development and role modelling than the teacher role did. This is shown in the middle category where a good clinical supervisor is understood as a role model and someone who shares what it is like to be a doctor. The middle category of understanding what it means to be a good teacher instead focussing on the teacher as someone who responds to students' content requests in a partially student-centred perspective. In comparing the ways individual respondents understood the two roles, this study also implies that teachers appear to compartmentalise their roles as teachers and clinical supervisors respectively.