Learning to be a doctoral supervisor: Experiences and views of nurse supervisors of higher degree research students

Abstract

Aims and objectives Given the importance of doctoral training to the future of the discipline, we sought to gain insight into nurse doctoral supervisor's experiences of supervision training and preparation and their views on what quality training for doctoral supervisors in nursing would look like. Background Doctorally prepared nurses have been found to contribute significantly to improvements in knowledge to inform patient care; yet there is little focus on the development of this aspect of the nursing workforce, and little evaluation of supervisor training, confidence and competence. Design Qualitative storytelling, semi‐structured interviews were conducted via a videoconferencing programme, audio‐recorded and thematically analysed with twenty‐one experienced nurse doctoral supervisors. Findings are reported in line with the COREQ guidelines. Results Thematic analysis revealed four themes: ‘I had a great mentor’: the importance of mentorship and role modelling; ‘Sometimes it's just trial and error’: learning through experience; ‘It's like tick a box’: strengths and limitations of formal supervisor training; and ‘The training should be more holistic’: what should be in supervisor training. Conclusions We recommend doctoral supervisors be encouraged to seek mentoring for supervision, formal mentoring and clinical supervision for the first five completions and the formation of discipline‐based supervisor learning groups in nursing as an adjunct to generic mandatory supervisor training. Relevance to clinical practice Further development of clinical nursing is inextricably linked to quality nurse‐led research, and doctorally prepared nurses are essential to the continued development of nursing as an evidence‐informed practice discipline. Quality doctoral supervision for and by nurses is crucial and we argue that focus must be given to ensuring the development of a skilled doctoral supervision workforce in nursing.

Doctoral Supervision: A Best Practice Review

“…Institutions should have in place, and enforce, a policy regarding the maximum number of doctoral students which a supervisor can accept for supervision to ensure that each individual doctoral student receives sufficient time and attention [15,24]. Supervision takes a significant amount of time and there needs to be a realistic workload recognition of this by the institution, so that adequate time across the academic year can be provided [15,25]. This time requirement must also be understood by the supervisor before they make a commitment to supervise a new doctoral student.…”

“…Doctoral supervision is a collaborative process which means that the relationship between the supervisor and the doctoral student is of key significance [25]. In fact, the timely completion of a doctoral student is often dependent upon the quality of the relationship which they have with their supervisor [32].…”

“…Professional development is best achieved when delivered as part of a community of practice [8,59]. Socialization is a useful process as it helps to embed academic norms and values [60,61], and informal learning opportunities through discussions with peers can be very effective [25,62]. Furthermore, cross-disciplinary groups are important to facilitate understanding of different disciplinary practices [63].…”

How Supervisors Can Support Doctoral Students to Publish and Not Perish in Academia

“…Research has identified that there is often insufficient training of supervisors to help students complete this [126]. Even where training is provided by institutions, this has proven to be inadequate [127] due to its focus on the administration of the degree rather than subject content or pedagogy [128]. These problems are exacerbated when the institutional training is compulsory, with the consequence of lack of engagement from those doctoral supervisors forced into attendance-ultimately the staff remain unconvinced of the efficacy of such resources [129].…”

Doctoral education, advanced practice and research: An analysis by nurse leaders from countries within the six WHO regions

“…This is evidenced by the fact that three Australian nursing schools were in the top 20 of the World QS rankings in 2021. Issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are seen as critical ( Jackson et al., 2021 ). Nursing continues to perform exceptionally well in the interdisciplinary Evaluation of Research in Australia, which emphasises the quality of research publications and research impact.…”