Preceptors’ and nursing students’ experiences of collaborative pedagogical strategies in home healthcare: a qualitative study

Background In recent years, healthcare organizations have globally undergone a transition from hospital-based care to primary and municipal care settings. This transition has created new expectations for how future nurses deliver care in non-hospital settings, including patients’ homes. Therefore, pedagogical strategies that effectively support nursing students’ clinical training in home healthcare environments are essential. This study aimed to explore preceptors’ and nursing students’ experiences of using collaborative pedagogical strategies during clinical training in home healthcare. Methods Data were generated through paired discussions with 60 nursing students and their preceptors during clinical training in municipal home healthcare in Sweden between 2022 and 2024. In addition, four focus-group discussions, two with students and two with preceptors, were conducted separately to reduce social pressure and deepen the data. All discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analysed as a single unit using thematic analysis. Results Preceptors and nursing students perceived that using collaborative strategies in home healthcare enhanced learning by promoting reflective dialogue, supporting professional development, and fostering students’ independence over time. These findings illustrate how collaboration between students and preceptors strengthens clinical training in home healthcare based on three interrelated organizational themes: • Team‑based interaction for learning and support refers to a collaborative learning unit in which students and preceptors engage in shared activities that foster a supportive, reflective, and competence‑enhancing learning environment. • Tasks for bridging theory and practice refers to the importance of structured activities and guided reflection in collaborative clinical learning units for bridging theoretical knowledge with clinical application. • Training and precepting in relation to the length of the collaboration refers to how the clinical training duration and environment influence the teamwork, depth of learning, autonomy, and pedagogical strategies. Conclusion Home healthcare offers a unique and important setting for nursing students’ clinical training. From a pedagogical standpoint, well-organized placements that incorporate collaborative strategies with structured learning activities could prepare students for the growing patient population in home healthcare and may positively influence career choices. Core collaborative pedagogical components include team-based learning and reflective practices embedded in everyday nursing care. Clinical trial number Not applicable