Experienced based co design: nursing preceptorship educational programme

Background Patients play a central role in nursing preceptorship relationships, a professional educational relationship between a staff nurse and student nurse that is grounded in providing patient care. Yet the patient experiences and perspectives are largely uncaptured in the literature or represented in current preceptorship education programmes. Furthermore, the lack of student, staff nurse & patient involvement in the design of preceptorship education programmes has been noted. Objective To use a co-design process to develop an innovative educational programme for developing interpersonal and communication skills among nurses who act as preceptors. We sought to (a) clarify experiences and events from all three members involved in a preceptorship relationship (student nurse, preceptor, and patient (SPP) in order to develop a shared understanding of nursing preceptorship relationships and (b) identify the key informational and educational needs recommended by SPP for the educational programme. Methods Using the principles and the iterative process of Experienced Based Co Design (EBCD), data was collected from qualitative interviews and used to inform a series of co-design workshops and the co-production of the new educational programme. Results Twenty-six individuals, including undergraduate student nurses, staff nurses, patients, and a team of nursing, educational and educational technologist experts, contributed to developing a blended learning preceptorship educational programme that consists of three core elements (1) six online reusable learning objects, (2) two role play simulations and (3) a virtual reality storytelling simulated experience. Conclusions The EBCD process ensured that the educational programme was developed to meet SPP viewpoints associated with fostering positive interpersonal relationships in a nursing preceptorship. EBCD is a valuable framework for developing human-centred educational resources that combine experiential knowledge (experiences) and scientific knowledge (literature-based knowledge). It facilitated the identification and the development of Interpersonal and Communications skills (IP & C skills) training required within a nursing preceptorship relationship, creating an authentic and memorable learning programme. The structure of EBCD harnesses SPP involvement throughout the research and development process, ensuring transparency and continuity of message, scope, and outcomes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40900-022-00385-3.