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 codesign 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 codesign 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 Preceptorship educational programme that consists of three core elements 1) online reusable learning objects, 2) 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 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.

Having psychological safety embedded in preceptorship relationships facilitates positive interpersonal and educational experiences for students. Psychological safety refers to a student’s belief as to whether or not it is safe for them to take interpersonal risks, such as asking questions, sharing an idea for improvement or speaking up to maintain patient safety. Having psychological safety leads to collaboration, positive student learning experiences and effective patient care. In this article, we present key guidelines for preceptors to provide a psychologically safe learning environment for their students. Guidelines fall under four categories 1)before meeting students, 2)first meeting students, 3) continued relationship with students and 4) general rules. These guidelines are informed by current literature on psychological safety and preceptorship and the author's clinical expertise in a nursing preceptorship. We conceptualise psychological safety in a nursing preceptorship for preceptors to denote the experience of inclusivity, empowerment and well-being of students within the social, cultural and physical clinical learning environment. A crucial attribute to cultivating a psychologically safe environment involves being an accessible and approachable preceptor.