Abstract
Clinical supervision as a priority for addiction nurses is beyond dispute. It is acknowledged that adequate supervision would enable addiction nurses to develop professional competencies and reduce stress and burnout. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the perceptions of clinical supervision among addiction nurses. Their knowledge of the concept, and their views and experiences of clinical supervision are examined. The Clinical Supervision Perception Questionnaire (CSPQ) was administered to 40 addiction nurses. The findings show that addiction nurses with more than 6 years of experience felt supervision was an integral part of their nursing work. The value of clinical supervision was highly regarded by addiction nurses working in combined drug and alcohol services. The study also reveals different supervision requirements among different subgroups, nurses working in combined services, and nurses working in the field for longer period of time having different needs and perceptions of supervision. This has implications for both educational programs and clinical practice.