Exposing the tensions of implementing supervision in pre-registration nurse education

This discussion will examine the complexities of implementing group clinical supervision in pre-registration nurse education. Exploration is based upon the authors’ experiences of facilitating clinical supervision with mental health branch students on the Diploma/BSc program at one higher education institution in the UK. It will provide the history and context of clinical supervision in nursing and apply this to the educational setting.This discussion aims to move beyond the rhetoric surrounding clinical supervision to expose the underlying tensions which we propose influence the clinical supervision process in pre-registration nurse education. These include the potential confusion of role for the supervisor, conflict of responsibilities and the potentially vulnerable position they may adopt. However, despite these tensions it is proposed that clinical supervision has a key role within graduate pre-registration nursing education.