The workplace supervisor
We will need to know who the workplace supervisor will be. The workplace supervisor will take overall responsibility for the trainee and will be identified in the trainee’s OneFile e-portfolio as the ‘workplace supervisor’. This does not mean that ‘workplace supervisor’ is your job title; it refers specifically to your relationship with, and responsibilities for, the HSST trainee.
Seniority and experience
Ideally, the workplace supervisor should be of consultant grade or equivalent, hold a postgraduate qualification, and have enthusiasm for training and developing scientists.
Training and induction to the role
We ask you to complete the school’s HSST training for trainers and cascade the learning to colleagues involved in delivering training. Ideally, you should access any in-house training available, including your trust’s online learning, to support you in delivering training. Typically, most trust learning and development teams run training programmes for educators. These often focus on the training of nursing or medical trainees; however, they cover the general principles of effective training. Some examples are provided in the person specification.
Time for training
To take responsibility as the workplace supervisor, you must be allocated sufficient time within your current role to deliver training. This includes having time to meet regularly with the trainee(s) and assess their e-portfolio work. Meetings should also be used to discuss gaps in training and how these can be addressed. A workplace supervisor should have time to monitor progress, provide feedback, and generally be available to support and mentor the trainee(s).
We recommend meeting with your trainee at least once a fortnight or once a month. It is helpful to keep a record of what is discussed during these meetings. These notes can be used to agree next steps and actions, provide evidence that progress has been reviewed, and support future review meetings within the e-portfolio. It can also be useful to have a separate individual act as a mentor.
There are 2 other training roles the host department will need to organise:
Research supervisor
- Each trainee must be allocated one or more specialist research supervisor.
- Ideally they should be qualified to doctoral level or equivalent and hold any required registration.
- In association with the university, they should be able to supervise research activity and contribute to the evaluation of innovation.
- The research supervisor and the workplace supervisor may be the same person.
- If the research supervisor is a different person from the workplace supervisor they must complete a ‘HSST Education and training qualifications’ form.
Mentor
A consultant or individual with similar senior status, who could be from outside the department or from another organisation, to act as a professional mentor for the trainee. The mentor should provide advice and guidance on professional development but would not be involved in day-to-day delivery of training.
Communication
Keep everyone informed, notify the school and MAHSE if your trainee will be absent from training e.g., maternity leave/long-term sick leave. The trainee should also take responsibility for this.
Workplace supervisors should know when the trainee will need to be at university, what they will be studying and what their key deadlines are. Workplace supervisors should establish contact with the university. Your trainee is the best person to help you to establish who the university contacts are. This contact can enable you to check their academic progress regularly. It is good practice to have collaborative three-way meetings between the trainee, the workplace supervisor, and the university contact. It is important for workplace supervisors to have good communication skills and approachability in this training role.
Knowledge and understanding
It is important that the workplace supervisor understands the academic process for Doctoral degrees. Workplace supervisors need to familiarise themselves with the HSST curriculum and the HSST Standards of Proficiency, so they know what the trainee will need to achieve.
Responsibilities of the workplace supervisor
- Take overall educational and supervisory responsibility for the trainee.
- Ensure the trainee is familiar with the curriculum for each year/stage of training.
- Ensure the trainee has day-to-day supervision appropriate to their stage of training.
- Ensure the trainee is making the necessary clinical and educational progress.
- Ensure the trainee is aware of the assessment system and process; how will you support your trainee’s training throughout the 5 years?
- Get to know the trainee well so that you can provide professional and pastoral support and recognise when the trainee is under pressure and stress.
- Meet with the trainee regularly, have one-to-one’s to discuss progress and feedback to develop the trainee.
- Review the training plan regularly; this can be recorded on OneFile.
- Participate in the Annual Review of Progression. This is facilitated by the school and serves as a check on a trainees’ progress with their learning and professional development. The review is based on a brief report from the workplace supervisor. The evidence is reviewed by a team of reviewers who will reach a judgement about whether the evidence supports or does not support the trainee’s progression.
- Host and attend regional HSST moderation assessment days. These can be trust led or regional events organised by the HSST trainees using the trainee networks. These events help support trainees and supervisors to share best practice and understand the right level of evidence
- Agree a training plan to make clear the commitment required to ensure that appropriate training opportunities are available, and there is protected time for the trainee.
- Ensure that a work-based induction (where appropriate) has been carried out soon after appointment to the HSST programme.