Measuring the quality of supervision and the training experience in psychiatry

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and trial a method of train ee evaluation of the supervision and training experience. Method: A questionnaire was developed and applied at the end of each of fou r 6-month clinical rotations. Results: The evaluation demonstrated areas of strength (punctuality and rel iability, encouragement, educational value, clinical guidance) and weakness (journal club, clinical meetings). Many supervisors were not observing dia gnostic or management interviews of trainees. Psychotherapy supervision rec eived the highest ratings. Conclusions: Because of the privacy of supervision and the occasional natur e of evaluations, reliability of scores cannot be demonstrated. However, wi thin the context of a model of quality improvement, and supplemented by the education and supervision of supervisors, trainee evaluations can be usefu l in targeting specific areas of deficiency in training and supervision.