Few studies have focused on fundamental care and featured the factors influencing nursing students’ learning in nursing homes

The study's findings reveal nurse preceptors’ perceptions of teaching fundamental care to nursing students

The findings are discussed in view of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning.

The quality of the learning environment and nurse preceptors’ qualities are the prerequisites for students’ learning.

International evidence suggests that clinical nurses and nursing students perceive fundamental care as not being important, not complicated and even not a nurse's responsibility, thus resulting in negative patient outcomes.

To explore nurse preceptors' perceptions about the factors that influence nursing students' gaining of knowledge about fundamental care during their clinical practice at nursing home.

A qualitative descriptive study using individual interviews was conducted from September 2020 to April 2021. Nine nurse preceptors employed at five nursing homes participated. The data were analysed by employing an inductive qualitative content analysis.

The analysis generated one main category—‘Fostering students’ knowledge and understanding of fundamental care’—supported by two categories: (i) ‘Nurse preceptors – enablers of nursing students' learning fundamental care’ and (ii) ‘Nursing home – a learning environment that facilitates students' learning about the delivery of fundamental care’, which can be interpreted as the preconditions that may contribute to fostering students' knowledge and understanding of fundamental care.

The study reveals that nurse preceptors' attributes, an effective preceptorship and a social learning environment can create opportunities for nursing students learning the provision of fundamental care in nursing homes. Furthermore, Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural learning may be applied when teaching in clinical nursing education.

Clinical learning

Fundamental care

Nursing homes

Nurse preceptors

Nursing students

Qualitative content analysis

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