title: Perceptions of Supervision in an Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is little guidance regarding best practices in supervision of psychiatric residents. As a result, expectations for both supervisors and trainees are often unclear. This study explored the experiences of trainees and supervisors in outpatient supervision, in order to identify areas for potential improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted focus groups of residents and faculty members. The sessions were transcribed and analyzed via established methods of qualitative data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A number of themes emerged. In general, residents desire an explicit structure to supervisory sessions, with more specific and concrete instruction. Attendings prefer to let residents lead discussion in supervision and focus on interpersonal aspects, such as the mentor-mentee relationship. Findings were situated within an established model of skill acquisition, the five-stage progression described by Dreyfus and Dreyfus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The differing experiences of trainees and supervisors reflect their respective stages of skill development as ambulatory psychiatrists. Potential interventions to improve the educational value of supervision include explicit agenda-setting at the beginning of supervision, regular bidirectional feedback, and more frequent opportunities for residents to observe attending interviews with patients.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. mark.newman@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Palo Alto VA Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Divy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ravindranath
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jibson
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005246:Feedback; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008611:Mentors / Q000193:education; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Learning theory; Outpatient; Qualitative; Resident education; Supervision