Exploring the Differences in Expectations Between Supervisors and Supervisees During the Initial Clinical Experience

Abstract

The clinical experience is a major component of the curriculum for graduate degree programs in speech-language pathology. During this experience, the supervisor provides the student with the support needed to grow as a clinician. Both supervisors and students enter into the supervisory process with a variety of goals, skills, and expectations. In this article, the author presents the results of a survey in which the expectations of novice clinicians are compared to the expectations of their supervisors. Identification of the expectations of these groups assisted in determining the concerns of both supervisors and supervisees, and in assessing discrepancies, which affect the supervisor's ability to meet the student's needs. An analysis of the data revealed discrepancies in expectations of these groups. A review of expectations of novice clinicians in their first clinical experience revealed a limited understanding of the expectations of supervisors, while students entering their second clinical experience noted increased expectations for cooperative learning and supervisor feedback. Both first and second semester students expected supervisors to provide direct support throughout both clinical experiences. While supervisors expected to provide direct support to clinicians at the beginning of their first clinical experience, they anticipated moving to indirect support as the students progressed.