Purpose – This article aims to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges clinical supervisors’ experience when supervising students’ professional learning in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 healthcare professionals, who are experienced clinical supervisors. They were employed either in a hospital ward or in one of two municipal care units.

Findings – The findings showed that clinical supervisors must navigate a complex landscape of challenges to ensure students’ professional learning. They had to balance their regular duties with the time and effort required for supervision. Prominent challenges were ensuring students met their learning objectives and determining when to allow students to handle tasks independently. The supervisors also faced challenges that were beyond their control. Their workplace conditions were not designed to accommodate students effectively. They struggled with negative attitudes from colleagues towards student supervision and they wanted the clinic managers to be more involved. The gap between the university’s educational demands and the realities of the workplace also presented supervisors with a significant challenge.

Originality/value – Apart from unique empirical material depicting clinical supervisors’ experiences of student supervision, the value of this study lies in the recommendation that supervisors have clear requirements from higher educational institutions, but of equal importance is that these requirements align with the conditions in the workplace. Further studies are necessary to understand the role that workplace conditions play for clinical supervisors in creating supportive learning environments that facilitate students in their journey to becoming established professionals.