The Experience of Psychiatry Residents with Individual Supervision in an ACGME-I Accredited Program in Qatar

Abstract

Abstract Background The policies on resident supervision in the psychiatry training program at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar, meet the requirements of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education-International (ACGME-I). The psychiatry department has mandated one-hour weekly supervision of residents. Unlike clinical supervision, little is known about how residents perceive individual supervision and its impact on their training. The purpose of this study was to explore psychiatry residents’ feedback on weekly individual supervision, focusing on frequency, content, and perceived quality. Results We conducted an anonymous survey among all residents in the psychiatry department of HMC, exploring the number and content of individual supervision sessions received during the previous six months, and their satisfaction with supervision provided. Out of 25 residents, 20 responded to the survey. The results showed that 95% (n=19) of those who responded had received some form of supervision during the previous six-month period, 15% (n=3) had it consistently on a weekly basis, and only 5% (n=1) received no supervision at all. “Topics selected by the resident and/or the supervisor” was the most frequently provided response by the residents to highlight the content of supervision. The percentage of residents satisfied was proportional to the number of individual supervision sessions received. Conclusions Action must be taken to improve the standard of individual supervision to include training of faculty, time protection during supervision, and ongoing support from program leadership.