Clinical Preceptorship in Nursing Education: Mapping Challenges and Opportunities in Public and Private Healthcare Settings: A Scoping Review

Background Clinical preceptorship is a structured teaching and learning approach widely recognized as essential for bridging the gap between nursing theory and clinical practice. In this model, experienced registered nurses supervise and evaluate nursing students' performance during clinical rotations, providing individualized guidance and practical learning opportunities. Despite its recognized importance in developing competent nursing professionals, the application of clinical preceptorship varies considerably across healthcare settings, particularly between public and private hospitals. Objective To synthesize existing evidence on the barriers and facilitators influencing clinical preceptorship among nursing preceptors, with particular emphasis on comparative perspectives between public and private healthcare settings. Method This scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Peer-reviewed, full-text studies published in English between 2020 and 2025 were included based on predefined inclusion criteria. Studies employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method designs were eligible. A total of 389 articles were identified; after screening and full-text assessment, 25 articles were selected, including qualitative and mixed-method studies. Results The review revealed five major themes: self-preparation of preceptors, organizational support, role perception, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to clinical preceptorship. Qualitative studies provided deeper insight into the emotional, relational, and contextual dimensions of preceptorship. Globally, key facilitators included adequate self-preparation and training, strong organizational support, positive role perception, and recognition of benefits. Persistent barriers included staff shortages, heavy workloads, infrastructural constraints, communication problems, cultural beliefs, and lack of institutional support. Significant differences were observed between public and private healthcare settings. Conclusion Clinical preceptorship implementation is shaped by organizational, cultural, and individual factors, with training, resources, and institutional support serving as key facilitators. Persistent systemic barriers and limited context-specific evidence, particularly from Pakistan comparing public and private healthcare settings, highlight the need for future research.