Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to explore, from the perspectove of the supervisor, the benefits and pitfalls of using on-line tools to provide supervision to healthcare students. Supervision is viewed as a fundamental element in the support offered to healthcare students in relation to supporting their professional identity development and skill acquisition. In Higher Education, the role of the supervisor is to impart knowledge, provide support and offer guidance. In contrast, in the healthcare setting and during the students' placement, the role of a supervisor is to provide a safe environment to enable the individual student to reflect on, and explore, their own practice in order to develop their professional skills.
Supervision of this type can be provided in a variety of formats, but as student numbers rise and the number of available supervisors decrease, lecturers in Higher Education are turning to web-based resources to lighten workload in supporting healthcare students on their work-base placements.
With reference to the author's experience and literature on reflective practice, reflective writing, supervision and the mentoring relationship the paper will explore the implications for practice and discuss options for future research.

Keywords:

Higher Education, supervision, technology.