Piloting a social supervision model in psychiatric placements: A focus group protocol with medical students, residents, and training coordinators (SUPPORT)

Psychiatry faces global recruitment challenges and is often viewed as low prestige among medical students. From their perspective, prior negative experiences including poor supervision and exclusion may reduce engagement during psychiatric placements. At the University of Oslo (UiO), students are typically supervised by residents, yet formal supervision training comes late and lacks practical components despite being required for specialist qualifications. This study will pilot a socially grounded supervision model emphasizing social safety as a driver of supervisory competence and learning outcomes. Phase 1 will test the feasibility of organizing residents and students into <i>supervision families</i> at Oslo University Hospital, deliver a supervision seminar for residents and offer targeted resources to enhance student engagement. Phase 2 will explore experiences with and without supervision families through interviews with students, residents, and training coordinators, assessing perceptions of intervention components and identifying barriers and facilitators. Phase 3 will implement a revised version of the intervention including updated seminars and improved learning resources, including a digital communication skills simulator, and re-examine new student and resident participant experiences to compare perceived impact. Data will be analyzed using a collective thematic approach. Findings will inform refinement and implementation of the model in psychiatric training for UiO students.•Pilot a socially grounded supervision model during psychiatric placements aiming at strengthening residents' supervisory competence and enhance student learning.•Explore experiences and barriers through focus group interviews with students, residents, and training coordinators.•Use findings to refine and inform implementation of the model for medical students and residents in mental health and other clinical settings.