This paper examines the concept of formalized clinical supervision by focusing attention on several aspects. First, the current popularity of the concept and the practice of clinical supervision in the British nursing literature. Second, further discussion takes place about the lack of agreement among scholars on the definitions, models and models of utilization of clinical supervision. Third, the significance of the relationship between clinical supervision and management is analyzed. Fourth, the identification of what is currently presented as formal clinical supervision in both mental health nursing and general nursing is achieved through an examination of the relevant psychoanalytic sources from which the concept originated, and the North American nursing contribution. Finally, from examination of the current and past literature, the conclusion is that nursing has misconceived the intention of formalized clinical supervision.