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The sentiments of Consultant Psychiatrist John Mulinga (Role Model, 8-15 March) with regards to the impact that a kind supervisor’s genuine personal interest had on his practice, especially in support of trainees, rang true with my experience of psychiatry training so far.
Psychiatry trainees have well protected supervision of an hour once a week, which is generally considered sacred, and there is a stipulation this must not regard direct clinical matters. It is not uncommon that the relationship between supervisor and supervisee is started with an informal “personal history” of a trainee’s life so far. Whilst this can initially seem unusual for the uninitiated, it leads to the supervisor having a greater sense of who you are and tends to foster a deeper understanding in the relationship.
This was perfectly exemplified recently when I started a new role as a specialty doctor. A locum consultant was hired to cover short-term sickness gaps and, amongst the chaos of a hurried orientation to the busy acute inpatient unit, time was found by the consultant to “talk life” for an hour each week. This led to a sense of containment and appreciation of me as an individual and was by no means expected in his brief and transient role.
The practice of making clear boundaries for regular weekly supervision in psychiatry pays dividends in the face of widespread staff burnout. In addition to this, as Dr Mulinga illustrated, it can also serve to light the torch of inspiration for the field, a torch that is easily passed on to the next generation of psychiatrists. It is not something that I see echoed in my colleague’s experience of other specialties.
Re: Paying it forward: the consultant psychiatrist
The sentiments of Consultant Psychiatrist John Mulinga (Role Model, 8-15 March) with regards to the impact that a kind supervisor’s genuine personal interest had on his practice, especially in support of trainees, rang true with my experience of psychiatry training so far.
Psychiatry trainees have well protected supervision of an hour once a week, which is generally considered sacred, and there is a stipulation this must not regard direct clinical matters. It is not uncommon that the relationship between supervisor and supervisee is started with an informal “personal history” of a trainee’s life so far. Whilst this can initially seem unusual for the uninitiated, it leads to the supervisor having a greater sense of who you are and tends to foster a deeper understanding in the relationship.
This was perfectly exemplified recently when I started a new role as a specialty doctor. A locum consultant was hired to cover short-term sickness gaps and, amongst the chaos of a hurried orientation to the busy acute inpatient unit, time was found by the consultant to “talk life” for an hour each week. This led to a sense of containment and appreciation of me as an individual and was by no means expected in his brief and transient role.
The practice of making clear boundaries for regular weekly supervision in psychiatry pays dividends in the face of widespread staff burnout. In addition to this, as Dr Mulinga illustrated, it can also serve to light the torch of inspiration for the field, a torch that is easily passed on to the next generation of psychiatrists. It is not something that I see echoed in my colleague’s experience of other specialties.
Competing interests: No competing interests