Navigating the unspoken: A qualitative study of how clinical nurse educators transmit tacit knowledge to nursing students.

Background

In nursing education, a significant body of knowledge essential for professional practice is tacit-difficult to articulate, yet crucial for clinical judgment, ethical comportment, and professional identity formation. Understanding how clinical nurse educators perceive and transmit this tacit knowledge is critical for optimizing student preparation.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the experiences of clinical nurse educators in identifying, conveying, and cultivating tacit knowledge among nursing students.

Design

A descriptive qualitative study.

Methods

The study involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 clinical nurse educators who were purposively sampled from 15 Chinese provinces and possessed ≥5 years of teaching experience. Data were collected from July to October 2025 and analyzed using thematic analysis, from which the key themes and subthemes were derived.

Results

Four themes and 12 subthemes were extracted. The themes were The nature and expression of tacit knowledge in clinical nursing education, Strategies for transmitting tacit knowledge, Challenges in tacit knowledge transmission, Organizational support and cultural nurturing.

Conclusions

Tacit knowledge is fundamental, not optional, to nursing practice. Its effective transmission hinges on deliberate pedagogy, supportive structures, and a reflective mentoring culture. These findings provide a foundation for developing clinical education frameworks and faculty policies dedicated to cultivating competent, compassionate, and ethically aware nurses.