The supervisor’s toolkit: A framework for doctoral supervision in health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 104

Abstract

Doctoral studies represent a complex undertaking for students and supervisors. Some research describes the experience of students while there are volumes of advice for students considering a doctorate. Yet the terrain for supervisors is less well-trodden and the concept of a pedagogy of supervision is only really starting to emerge. Texts on the doctoral journey from the supervisor’s perspective are uncommon and less yet has been written in the context of health professions education. The aim of this Guide, therefore, is to provide guidance for the supervisor’s journey, drawing on our collective experience and such literature as there is. We explore the doctoral journey of students and their supervisors, highlighting what the implications are for supervisory practice. Recognising the doctorate as much more than merely conducting a research project, and seeing it as a shared educational endeavour is fundamental to understanding the doctoral journey — a journey that is complex and mutable, constantly shifting as the candidate moves from novice to expert, from dependence to growing autonomy. Our intention is to present this Guide as a toolkit for both the novice and the experienced supervisor as it, on the one hand, seeks to make the practice of supervision more transparent while on the other, challenges the reader to critically reflect on the supervisory space in which they currently reside. Our hope is that the Guide opens up opportunities for generative conversations about the practice of doctoral supervision in health professions education.