Supervision is a defined process where a more experienced individual oversees and enhances the work performance of less experienced workers, focusing on developing skills, promoting teamwork, and bridging personal and organizational goals. Key principles include fostering growth in knowledge, maintaining effective communication, and applying various supervisory methods such as direct observation and evaluation. Effective supervision in nursing aims to improve care quality through planned guidance, relationship building, and addressing challenges within the workforce.

1. By,
Mr. Abhijit Bhoyar
M Sc. Nursing

2. DEFINITION
Supervision is defined as ―An art or a process by which
designated individual or group of individuals oversee
the work of others and establish controls to improve the
work as well as the worker.

3. • Supervision is generally termed as an educational process in
which a person with better training or more experience
takes the responsibility of training a person with less training
or less experience, and in this educational process the
leadership of the supervisor and the growth of the
supervised combine to achieve and maintain progressively
the highest level of performance of which the worker is
capable.

4. • Supervision is observation and providing feedback
to ensure the quality of the program and to enable
the staff to perform to their maximum potential.
• Traditional approaches to supervision emphasized
on inspecting‘ facilities and controlling individual
performance.

5. OBJECTIVES OF SUPERVISION
• To help subordinate to do their job skillfully and
efficiently.
• To develop subordinates capacity to the fullest extent.
• To promote team work
• To promote moral and motivation among workers.
• To bridge the gap between personal goal and
organizational goal

6. PURPOSE OF SUPERVISION
To improve the
quality of work /
performance
Helping the person
doing the work and
develop the highest
possible standard

7. PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION
• Supervision should aim at growth in knowledge and
improvement of skill of the person.
• Supervision should improve the ability in thinking and
adjusting to the new situation.
• It should help to formulate objects.
• Good supervision stimulates their interest and effectors.
• No undue pressure for achievement

8. PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION
• Autonomy to subordinate
preferred
• Supervision should have
competence
• Supervision should have receive
training
• Decision making is encouraged
• Free communication to required

9. PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION
• No over burdening to staff
• Good leadership by supervisor
• Suitable climate for work
• Give guidance
• Supervision should encourage innovation allowing free
flow of ideas and share positive experiences of
personnel.

10. COMMON SUPERVISORY METHODS
1.Individual conference
6.Direct observation
3.Training sessions
2.Group conference 5.Evaluation sessions
4.Review of records

11. PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO NURSING:
• Supervision should be focused on the
attainment of one goal, the giving of a
high quality of nursing care.
• Strives to make the ward a good
learning situation.
• Supervision is well planned.
• It should posters the ability to think
and act herself.

12. PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO NURSING
• Helps her to attain objectives stimulates interest and
effort.
• Encourages and challenges her to greater endeavour
through adequate approval commendation and by
recognition of work well done.
• To make pattern for analysis and to analyze
continuously her success in reaching the objectives.

13. WHO IS SUPERVISOR?
• A supervisor is a person who is primarily incharge of a
section & is responsible for both quality & quantity of
production, for the efficient performance of the equipment,
& for the employees in his charge & their efficiency, training
& morale
• A supervisor drives authority from the departmental head
for getting work done from the workers by using the
resources of the enterprises.

14. • He issues instructions
to the workers,
directs their activities
& reports to the
department head on
the performance of
his section.

15. QUALITIES OF A GOOD SUPERVISOR:
• Trained person
• Understand the training background and ability of the
supervised.
• Good knowledge, the local practice
• Good in health
• Good listener.

16. QUALITIES OF A GOOD SUPERVISOR:
• Supervisor should have leads examplenory life
• Creative enthusiasm
• Just impartial human, tolerant and tactful
• Helpful
• Good power of judgment.

17. SUPERVISION CONSIST OF
Leadershi
p
Motivation
Communic
ation
Evaluatio
n

18. FUNCTIONS OF SUPERVISION:
A.
Administrative
B. Educative
C.
Communicative
D. Evaluative

19. A. Administrative:
• Assignment of the work loads of individual and groups
according to the level of physical and mental competence
(or) preparing the duty roaster.
• Identify the needs for supplies and equipment and providing
materials and supplies to facilitate the staff performance.
• Identify the problem and helps to solve.

20. B. Educative:
• Orientation
• Teaching subordinates
• Plan and conduct in service education program
• Ensuring staff developments

21. C. Communicative
• The supervision act as a communicator between the staff
and authorities and other health team members.
• She facilitates communication
• She should encourage free communication among persons
between worker and community representatives and
members of health team.

22. D. Evaluative:
• Supervisor is supposed to carryout
performance appraisal of all the staff this
include identify the cause of difficulty.
• Providing guidance.

23. OTHER FUNCTIONS ARE:
• Co-ordinates there of subordinates and agents and promote
team worker.
• Promote social contact with in the team to bring staff
together and increases group cohesiveness.
• Develops mutual confidence
• Raises level of motivation
• Develops good IPR
• Maintains Records & Reports
• Establish control over the subordinates

24. AS A MANAGER SUPERVISOR HAS TO
PERFORM THE FOLLOWING
FUNCTIONS
• Planning the work
• Issuing orders
• Providing guidance & leadership
• Motivation
• Preserving records

25. • Controlling output – performance of the
worker
• Liaison between management & workers
• Grievance handling
• Industrial safety

26. STEPS IN SUPERVISION:
When supervision is needed the superviser has to make plan
for supervision by using certain steps to follow.
1. Defining of the job to be done
2. Selection and organization of supervisor activities based on
available resources.
3. Anticipation of difficulties
4. Establishment of criterion for evaluation determining what
extent the programme has met problem / objectives
according to plan.

27. TYPES OF SUPERVISION:
TYPES
Direct
supervision
Indirect
supervision

28. (1) Direct supervision – Face to face
talk with worker
• Points to be considered:
 Do not loose temper
 Use democratic approach and avoid autographic
 Give workers chance to reply
 Do not talk too much and too fast
 Be human in behavior
 Do not give instructions – haphazard way.

29. (2) Indirect supervision: With the help of record
and reports of the worker and through written
instructions.
This includes:
• Ensuring – carrying out allotted work
• Analysis of monthly progress – input efforts and
achievement
• Analyzing amount of work allotted
• Support and guidance.

30. METHODS OF SUPERVISION:
(1) Technical vs. creative supervision
• (2) Co-operative vs. authoritarian
(3) Scientific vs. institutive
• (4) Task oriented vs. employee oriented

31. • I. TECHNICAL – These are basic supervisory skills and which
need to be trained – group discussion and conference
• For example: techniques of service study, record construction,
time study etc.
• CREATIVE – provides maximum adaptation to the situation
• Ex. Instead of orientation period of two week for each new
staff member, a variable plan in both contents and time
according to the needs of each individual should formulated

32. • II. COOPERATIVE – full participation of each member
of the group in planning, action and decision.
• AUTHORIZATION: supervision responsibility centers
entirely on the supervisor, with the staff following his
/ her orders.
• Both are needed to all situation.

33. • III. SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION – Relies on
objective study and measurement than
personal judgment / opinion.
• INSTITUTIVE SUPERVISION :It needs to
maintain IPR

34. • IV. TASK ORIENTED SUPERVISION emphasize
the task more than performer.
• EMPLOYEE ORIENTED: Supervisors are more
concerned about worker staff their needs and
welfare than assigned tasks.

35. TOOLS FOR SUPERVISION
• Checklist
• Rating scales
• Nurses reports
• Nursing rounds
• Job descriptions
• Personnel policies
• Staff educations
• Problem solving
approach

36. TECHNIQUES OF SUPERVISION
• A technique is a way of doing something.
• Techniques vary with the personality and ability of the
individuals who are being supervised, the activities that are
being performed under supervision and the immediate
circumstances.
• Any technique used for supervision must be based on sound
democratic psychological principles which takes account the
nurse‘s individuality.

37. THE PROCESS OF SUPERVISION:
1. A supervisor should focus on specific issue.
• - Efficacy of service provided to the
• - Relevant problems
• - Efficacy problem utilization management of
limited resources.
Stag
e 1
Preparation for
supervision

38. 2. Study of document
3. Identification of priorities
4. Preparation of a supervision schedule

39. • Use tools:
- Job description
- Task description
- Weekly time table
- Check list / rating for each work
• As a supervisor the following duties has to be
performed.
• Establish contact
Stag
e 2 supervision

40. • Review the objectives, targets and norms
• Review job descriptions
• Note actual / potential conflict
• Observe the actual performance.
• Observe the individual nursing staff carries out
his/her tasks.
• Identify the gaps & needs for follow up action based
on feed back data attained through the observation.

41. Unless actions to follow-up the gaps and needs identified during
stage are taken, supervision remains incomplete. Each
supervisor must prepare a report on the observations made
during supervision. The follow-up action may include:
• Organizing in-service training programmes/continuing
education programmes for the nursing personnel.
Stag
e 3
Follow up of
supervision

42. • Reorganization of time table / work plan/ duty
roaster.
• Initiating changes in logistic support or supply
system.
• Initiating actions for organizing staff welfare
activities.
• Counseling and guidance regarding career
development and professional growth.

43. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPERVISION
DEPENDS ON:
1. Human
relations skill
2. Technical and
Managerial
knowledge
3. Leadership
position
4. Improved
upward
relations
5. Relief from
non-supervisory
duties
6. General and
lose supervision

44. 1. Human relations skill:
• Supervision is mainly concerned with instructing,
guiding and inspiring human beings towards greater
performance.
• For purpose of direction, the supervisor has to rely
on leadership, counseling, communication and other
determinants of human relations

45. 2. Technical and Managerial
knowledge:
• Guidance implies a complete understanding of all
work problems, for which supervisor should have
good knowledge about technical aspect of job and
also the managerial aspect

46. 3. Leadership position
• The authority of supervisor must be made
commensurate with their duty so as to make
the job of supervision a satisfying, rewarding
and challenging one

47. 4. Improved upward relations
• To ensure god quality of supervisors, the
supervisor‘s should be regularly allowed to
present their views and suggestions to top
executive in regard to the personnel and their
works performance.

48. 5. Relief from non-supervisory duties
• To make the supervisory duties purposeful,
the supervisors are to be relieved of many
routine activities that divert their attention
from the real job.

49. 6. General and lose supervision
• According to some experience, the general and loose
supervision is more productive than close
supervision.
• Here the leader must allow freedom and initiative to
his followers for pursuing a common course of
action.

50. PROBLEMS OF SUPERVISION
There are no perfect nursing service
programs/situations without any
problems
• 1. Shortage of nursing personnel.
• 2. Individual differences among
personnel in interests, capacities
and abilities.
• 3. Lack of information, insight and
understanding of changes and
developments in the interest of the
continuance and improvement of
nursing.
PROBL
EMS IN
NURSIN
G
SERVIC
E:

51. • 4. Lack of clearly defined assignments, multiple responsibility
and lack of planning on the part of those to whom personnel
is responsible
• 5. Outdated policies, procedures and guides to workmanship
which cause them to be disregarded and unused.
• 6. Inadequate, unsafe, and defective equipment.
• 7. Ill health in the part of personnel
• 8. Undesirable personnel characteristics with special attention
to attitudes

52. COMMON PROBLEMS
IN COMMUNITY
HEALTH NURSING
SUPERVISION:
• 1. Problems inherent to budgeting, planning and timing.
• 2. Personnel problems including problems of poor
performance.
• 3. Grievances
• 4. Lack of financial resources.
• 5. Lack administrative support

53. • 6. Staff members who are inflexible and resist any type of
change
• 7. Assignment to projects other than those committed to
perform
• 8. Lack of political support
• 9. . Staff members who do not accept or support the program
goals.
• 10. Conflict within the nursing unit itself.

54. • 11. Inability to proceed (for many reasons) because the timing
is wrong
• 12. Inability to hire qualified personnel.
• 13. Changes in program priorities.
• 14. Other issues can include anything from car rental, uniform
allowance, security of the staff within the community, need
for supplies and equipment, duplication of services provided
by another organization.

55. Thank
you for
my
supervision