Introduction <p>This study aims to explore the improvement effect of the WeChat-based School-Family-Hospital Collaborative Communication Mechanism (SFPC) on the teaching effectiveness and clinical practice competence of general surgical nursing interns, with a focus on the synergy between nursing practice and surgical diagnosis and treatment. It provides practical support for enhancing the integration of nursing education into general surgical clinical work.</p> Methods <p>A prospective cohort study was conducted involving 132 general surgical nursing interns. Participants were allocated to a control group (receiving traditional teaching) and an observation group (undergoing the school-family-hospital collaboration [SFPC] teaching method) according to their school type and residential status, with 66 interns in each group.</p> Results <p>The medical interest scores of the SFPC teaching group were significantly higher than those of the traditional teaching group (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). In addition, the SFPC teaching group showed statistically significant improvements in self-efficacy (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), SEGUE communication ability (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), inter-professional learning ability (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), and simulated nurse licensure examination scores (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Notably, the intervention enhanced interns’ ability to collaborate with surgical physicians in clinical scenarios.</p> Discussion <p>This study confirms that the WeChat-based school-family-hospital collaborative mechanism significantly improves five core professional competencies of general surgical nursing interns, which is closely related to family support, and the guidance of nursing teachers and senior surgical physicians. It addresses the research gap in adapting nursing education to the long-cycle, multi-scenario characteristics of general surgical internships, and provides practical strategies for clinical nursing education integrated with surgical practice.</p> Conclusion <p>This study provides evidence for using SFPC as an effective teaching method to improve various abilities and internship effects of general surgical nursing interns, especially their integration into surgical clinical work and collaboration with surgical teams. It offers practical strategies for the optimization of general surgical clinical nursing education.</p>