Interprofessional learning for supervision: ‘taking the blinkers off’

This article will argue the advantages of interprofessional education as a context for learning about professional supervision. In a departure from most previous research which explores how the interprofessional learning situation affects the relationships between participants, we explored how the difference between the participants affected their learning. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in professional supervision in health and human services and a corresponding development in opportunities for supervision training. Evidence from a small qualitative study of participants’ views on learning in interprofessional supervision programmes was examined. It was found that the interprofessional learning environment deepened the exploration and level of understanding about supervision and encouraged participants to question taken-for-granted professional assumptions. The identification of difference between participants, rather than impeding learning, was seen to enhance the breadth of learning and participants were challenged to clarify ideas and language.