Supervision for nurses

Professional supervision is essential for nurses who support people experiencing mental health and addiction problems, along with their families and whānau, to thrive and experience wellbeing wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. It allows space and time to reflect on practice and professional identity.

The ability for nurses to understand and engage in supervision is inherent in the following practice standards:

  • Standards of Practice for Mental Health Nursing in Aotearoa New Zealand (Te Ao Māramatanga-NZCMHNurses, 2012).
  • The Addiction Specialty Nursing Competency Framework for Aotearoa New Zealand (Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia, 2012).
  • The Addiction Intervention Competency Framework (Dapaanz, 2011).

These standards are underpinned by Let’s get real: Real Skills for people working in mental health and addiction (Ministry of Health, 2008), which highlights the importance of understanding and engaging in supervision. 

In 2011, Te Pou published three professional supervision guides to assist nurses to understand and implement professional supervision. These guides were revised in 2016-2017 and have one overarching whakatauki -Te Tirohanga a te Manu - “A bird’s perspective”. The main changes include more information on: 

  • cultural responsiveness
  • profiles 
  • group supervision
  • supervision and nursing practice
  • evaluation.