Professional, clinical and field placements in metropolitan and rural areas are a core and essential element of nursing, midwifery, and allied health programs offered by the University of South Australia. We support and acknowledge student placement supervisors who regularly supervise students as part of their professional role, by offering a Clinical Supervisor Support Program designed to support supervisors who frequently supervise UniSA students.
The Clinical Supervisor Support Program has two levels – Supporter and Partner. Each level has specific criteria that need to be met. Your eligibility is based on either the number of students supervised in the preceding year or the total hours of supervision provided.
Supervision of students on placement typically involves:
- Students’ orientation to a site
- Supervising the student for considerable periods whilst the student is on clinical or fieldwork placement
- Providing feedback to the student on a regular basis
- Active contribution to the student assessment process.
Supporter level criteria and benefits
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Criteria
- Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who contributes to the education of students by being the primary supervisor of 1 – 5 students throughout the year
OR - Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who supervises students for between 8 – 40 hours in a year.
- Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who contributes to the education of students by being the primary supervisor of 1 – 5 students throughout the year
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Benefits
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Access to University of South Australia Library services, including access to the numerous online journals and databases to which the University subscribes
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A UniSA email address.
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Partner level criteria and benefits
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Criteria
- Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who supervises six or more students throughout the year
OR - Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who supervises students for over 40 hours in a year.
- Any Clinical Facilitator or Supervisor who supervises six or more students throughout the year
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Benefits
- Access to University of South Australia Library services, including access to the numerous online journals and databases to which the University subscribes
- A UniSA email address
- A Certificate of Appreciation for Clinical Supervision Support from the Dean: Clinical Education & Equity.
- A 25% discount on the course fees for the Professional Certificate in Practice Education & Supervision.
Additional information
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Guidelines
- Clinical Supervisor Support Program participants must apply through Working at UniSA. Supervision support will be checked against the numbers of students recorded as going to a particular site.
- Supporter status is for 18 months from the date of approval. Partner status is for three years from the date of approval. You must reapply before the end of the program period if ongoing support is required.
- If you supervise students on placement as a University of South Australia casual contractor, you already have access to the UniSA network, including access to Library services.
- Part-time staff who supervise students are still eligible for the Program; the level will be dependent on their full-time equivalency (FTE) status. For example, a supervisor working two days per week (0.4 FTE) will be eligible for Supporter or Partner status by supervising 40% of the required number of students or hours to meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
- Applications to the Program are reviewed quarterly.
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Access to University of South Australia Library services
Once your application is approved, you will receive a letter of agreement and computer network access form. Once these forms have been completed and returned to UniSA, you will be granted access to the University network. The letter of agreement will contain information about how to access Library services.
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Formal acknowledgement
Formal acknowledgement of appreciation will be sent to the relevant individual clinician early in the following year.
A formal acknowledgement of appreciation for a department or organisation is available upon request. To be eligible, the department or organisation must have at least three Supervisors/Facilitators in the Support Program. Please contact the Project Officer: Clinical Education & Equity to request this.
