Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision
Background: In South Africa, graduate rehabilitation therapists undertake a compulsory community service (CS) year in public healthcare facilities, often entering this role without sufficient competency to work independently. They rely on supervision and support, which may come from senior therapist...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2025-02-01
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| Series: | South African Family Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6077 |
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| author | Zinzile N. Sibiya Andrew J. Ross |
| author_facet | Zinzile N. Sibiya Andrew J. Ross |
| author_sort | Zinzile N. Sibiya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: In South Africa, graduate rehabilitation therapists undertake a compulsory community service (CS) year in public healthcare facilities, often entering this role without sufficient competency to work independently. They rely on supervision and support, which may come from senior therapists of different disciplines. This study, conducted in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, explores the experiences of rehabilitation therapists regarding cross-disciplinary supervision and support during their CS year.
Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design was employed. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven purposively sampled participants from five KZN districts. Data were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically.
Results: The findings revealed four themes and ten sub-themes, highlighting the challenges and benefits of cross-disciplinary supervision, dissatisfaction with existing support structures, and recommendations for improvement. The CS therapists, as junior staff, often lacked the experience and authority to deliver optimal patient care within resource-constrained settings.
Conclusion: While discipline-specific supervision remains the preferred approach, cross-disciplinary supervision contributed positively to professional development, broadening therapists’ understanding of other rehabilitation disciplines. However, the limited availability of accessible, discipline-specific supervisors remains a significant concern. Given their frequent isolation and minimal experience, CS therapists require consistent, discipline-specific support to meet service demands.
Contribution: This study emphasises need to address the experiences of CS therapists, who face high patient loads and limited support, in public health sector planning. Incorporating their insights can enhance their ability to deliver essential services, ensuring better outcomes for the populations served by the public health system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-685bfee6d9774b76b6ff475f5f65db73 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-685bfee6d9774b76b6ff475f5f65db732025-08-20T03:06:52ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042025-02-01671e1e910.4102/safp.v67i1.60774920Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervisionZinzile N. Sibiya0Andrew J. Ross1Department of Family Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDepartment of Family Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanBackground: In South Africa, graduate rehabilitation therapists undertake a compulsory community service (CS) year in public healthcare facilities, often entering this role without sufficient competency to work independently. They rely on supervision and support, which may come from senior therapists of different disciplines. This study, conducted in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, explores the experiences of rehabilitation therapists regarding cross-disciplinary supervision and support during their CS year. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design was employed. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven purposively sampled participants from five KZN districts. Data were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Results: The findings revealed four themes and ten sub-themes, highlighting the challenges and benefits of cross-disciplinary supervision, dissatisfaction with existing support structures, and recommendations for improvement. The CS therapists, as junior staff, often lacked the experience and authority to deliver optimal patient care within resource-constrained settings. Conclusion: While discipline-specific supervision remains the preferred approach, cross-disciplinary supervision contributed positively to professional development, broadening therapists’ understanding of other rehabilitation disciplines. However, the limited availability of accessible, discipline-specific supervisors remains a significant concern. Given their frequent isolation and minimal experience, CS therapists require consistent, discipline-specific support to meet service demands. Contribution: This study emphasises need to address the experiences of CS therapists, who face high patient loads and limited support, in public health sector planning. Incorporating their insights can enhance their ability to deliver essential services, ensuring better outcomes for the populations served by the public health system.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6077supervisioncommunity servicesupportrehabilitation therapistkwazulu-natal province. |
| spellingShingle | Zinzile N. Sibiya Andrew J. Ross Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision South African Family Practice supervision community service support rehabilitation therapist kwazulu-natal province. |
| title | Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision |
| title_full | Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision |
| title_fullStr | Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision |
| title_short | Community service rehabilitation therapists’ perspectives of cross-disciplinary supervision |
| title_sort | community service rehabilitation therapists perspectives of cross disciplinary supervision |
| topic | supervision community service support rehabilitation therapist kwazulu-natal province. |
| url | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6077 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zinzilensibiya communityservicerehabilitationtherapistsperspectivesofcrossdisciplinarysupervision AT andrewjross communityservicerehabilitationtherapistsperspectivesofcrossdisciplinarysupervision |