Tinker, Tailor, Supervisor, Spy: Lessons Learned from Distant Supervision

Abstract

This study investigates the transition from a local to a distant model of clinical intern supervision at a large, public, research university. Interviews were conducted with supervisors who had participated in local and distant supervision to explore challenges and adaptations throughout the first year of the distant model. Aside from areas of consensus, such as difficulties with communication, observations, coaching, and seminar meetings, the supervisors revealed distinctly different responses to the expectation of carrying out the distant supervision model with fidelity. Positioning theory provided helpful insight into the range of experiences and reactions within the interview data. Our findings suggest that as programs continue to experiment with distant supervision, they may wish to democratize the process through collaborative inquiry in which multiple players tinker and tailor to support intern learning.