Camilla Eskilsson

Caring and learning intertwined in supervision at a dedicated education unit ‒ a phenomenological study

Supervising student nurses in clinical praxis entails dealing with both caring and learning aspects. There is a dearth of research focusing on both the caring and learning aspects in supervision. The present study describes how caring and learning is intertwined in supervision. The study was performed with a Reflective Lifeworld Research approach and analyzed phenomenologically for meanings. Eight interviews were conducted with supervisors on an orthopedic-dedicated education unit. The findings reveal how supervisors constantly move in order to be either close to or standing back, adjusting to the students’ and the patients’ needs. This is described in more detail via the constituents: handling responsibility in constant movement, participating in a new and different way, coexisting with students creates meaning and development. The findings show that a reflective attitude in supervision , clear structure for daily activities, and a lifeworld-led didactics can promote a learning and caring environment. Supervisors’ demanding task requires pauses in order to maintain motivation among supervisors. A mutual link between supervisors, students and patients is crucial in order to create an environment where caring and learning are intertwined.

Intertwining of caring and learning in care practices supported by a didactic approach

This paper highlights how caring and learning interact and become an intertwined phenomenon. The analysis of the research findings from two studies, in which the interaction between caring and learning in two educational units was investigated, has been guided by a Reflective Lifeworld Research approach grounded in a lifeworld-oriented phenomenology. The analysis procedure was concluded in a synthesis of the interaction between caring and learning in a Dedicated Educational Unit (DEU) and a didactic method inspired by a lifeworld educational perspective has been developed. The results show that through trust and genuine meetings between patients and students caring and learning can converge and be intertwined. Both students and patients take an active role in the health process as well as the learning process. In order to achieve an intertwining process qualified supervision, care managers who take responsibility for a caring and learning environment and a consensus between the nursing school and the healthcare organization is required. The didactic method that can support the intertwining of caring and learning consists of three themes; genuine meetings, sensitivity for the patients story and reflection in interaction. These themes are tools for the supervision.