Characteristics of Clinical Supervision for Mental Health Nurses: A Survey Study Using the MCSS-26

Aim(s): To describe the characteristics and perceived effectiveness of clinical supervision mental health nurses are receiving and further explore any statistical correlations between the perceived effectiveness and satisfaction with the supervisee, supervisor and supervision characteristics. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: An online survey was distributed to nurses working in public mental health services in Victoria, Australia. A universal recruitment approach was used, and 422 nurses participated in the survey. Of these, 220 nurses who are participating in clinical supervision were eligible for the MCSS-26 survey. Data Source: A licensed MCSS-26 questionnaire. Results: Mental health nurses in the studied environment were likely to receive individual supervision from a senior mental health nurse, with the most common frequency being monthly for 31-60 min, and half receiving it within their workplace location. Half of the participants chose their own supervisor. Our findings indicate that nurses who engage in clinical supervision outside of their immediate workplace and receive individual supervision from a nurse of the same grade perceive higher effectiveness. We also found that clinical nurses may find it most difficult to engage in effective clinical supervision due to time constraints. Conclusion: This study uniquely contributes to the current clinical supervision literature by reporting the uptake and detailed characteristics of supervision, a facet often overlooked in existing research. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareThis study reported the characteristics of the supervision, supervisor and the supervisee that are associated with the effective clinical supervision. These insights can lead to tailored implementation strategies that consider the specific roles and settings of nurses. Reporting Method: CROSS (Sharma et al. 2021). Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.