The wheel of skills

Introduction: Second semester Advanced Foundation nursing students perform a Skills Observation Simulation (SOS), which is completed during the last week of labs. SOS requires performance of one randomly chosen skill learned in the lab during the semester within a simulation. Students report they are more anxious about this checkoff than any other simulation and contribute their anxiety to lack of knowing what skill they will be asked to perform, feeling unprepared, performing alone, and being video recorded.

Method: In Spring 2018, a spinning wheel (The Wheel of Skills) was introduced to students as a new approach to allow a form of self-selection of skills, and to help reduce anxiety. The purpose of the wheel was to introduce the skill in a way that put the selection in the student’s hand. The simulation coordinator cheered as if it were a game show while the wheel came to a stop. Students could ask questions to clarify the skill and were given a couple of minutes to prepare. They initiated the simulation by stating they were “ready to begin.”

Results: Students reported that self-selection made them more comfortable than random assignment of skills by staff and that they felt more confident in their nursing skills because of the SOS.

Conclusion: It has been reported that students’ performance can be improved with simulation in the classroom (Nielson & Harder, 2013); however, new and innovative simulation approaches, such as the Wheel of Skills can help ensure student success by decreasing anxiety and improving skills performance.