Piloting a social supervision model in psychiatric placements: A focus group protocol with medical students, residents, and training coordinators (SUPPORT)

Lise-Mari Lauritzen; Edvin Schei; Henrik Myhre Ihler; Madicken Victoria Söderlind Roald; Victoria Akre; Ingrid Amalia Havnes

doi:10.1016/j.mex.2026.103847

Piloting a social supervision model in psychiatric placements: A focus group protocol with medical students, residents, and training coordinators (SUPPORT)

MethodsX. 2026 Feb 26:16:103847. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2026.103847. eCollection 2026 Jun.

Authors

Lise-Mari Lauritzen¹, Edvin Schei², Henrik Myhre Ihler¹, Madicken Victoria Söderlind Roald¹, Victoria Akre¹, Ingrid Amalia Havnes^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, PO box 4959 Nydalen, Oslo 0424, Norway.
² Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7804, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
³ Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO box 1171 Blindern, Oslo 0318, Norway.

Abstract

Psychiatry faces global recruitment challenges and is often viewed as low prestige among medical students. From their perspective, prior negative experiences including poor supervision and exclusion may reduce engagement during psychiatric placements. At the University of Oslo (UiO), students are typically supervised by residents, yet formal supervision training comes late and lacks practical components despite being required for specialist qualifications. This study will pilot a socially grounded supervision model emphasizing social safety as a driver of supervisory competence and learning outcomes. Phase 1 will test the feasibility of organizing residents and students into supervision families at Oslo University Hospital, deliver a supervision seminar for residents and offer targeted resources to enhance student engagement. Phase 2 will explore experiences with and without supervision families through interviews with students, residents, and training coordinators, assessing perceptions of intervention components and identifying barriers and facilitators. Phase 3 will implement a revised version of the intervention including updated seminars and improved learning resources, including a digital communication skills simulator, and re-examine new student and resident participant experiences to compare perceived impact. Data will be analyzed using a collective thematic approach. Findings will inform refinement and implementation of the model in psychiatric training for UiO students.•Pilot a socially grounded supervision model during psychiatric placements aiming at strengthening residents' supervisory competence and enhance student learning.•Explore experiences and barriers through focus group interviews with students, residents, and training coordinators.•Use findings to refine and inform implementation of the model for medical students and residents in mental health and other clinical settings.

Keywords: Clinical supervision; Collective thematic analysis; Competency-based education; Focus groups; Internship and residency; Intervention; Medical education; Psychiatry; Qualitative.