Clinical supervisors

Practitioner supervisors are healthcare professionals who supervise students during their clinical placement in a private practice or institution (hospital, nursing home or clinic). Each year, the HES-SO Bachelor's and Master's programme in Osteopathy trains practitioner supervisors at the School of Health Sciences Fribourg (Heds FR) to ensure standardised supervision throughout the clinical training provided during the Master's programme. The aim of the training is to understand all aspects related to the acquisition of professional competencies (e.g. «What is a competency?», «How can competency acquisition be developed?», «How can a competency be assessed?»).

The training takes place over five days. It is free of charge, but in return, practitioner supervisors commit to supervising a trainee for at least three years. There are two types of placements: in private practice (1st and 4th semesters of the Master's programme) or in an institution (2nd and 3rd semesters of the Master's programme). During the placements, practitioner supervisors ensure that Master's students demonstrate, in real-life situations, the acquisition of the competencies expected at the end of their professional training. Each placement lasts six months, at a rate of two days per week in private practice or one day per week in an institution. The practitioner supervisor receives a flat-rate compensation per student for supervising each placement.