by James Coburn, Staff Writer
Dianne Gremillion believes you bring about what you think about.
“When I was in nursing school, I would look at my teachers and think that will be me someday,” said Gremillion, RN, owner and instructor at Innovative Teaching Solutions. She founded the educational training company in 2007.
Innovative Teaching Solutions specializes in NCLEX review and test taking strategies. She provides ways of breaking down the questions to help them get their nursing licenses. Gremillion said she is privileged to help nursing school graduates overcome fears and anxiety.
“I feel so honored because when I help one person — that’s really helping thousands of people,” she said. “As a result of training with us 99 percent of nursing students pass the NCLEX on their first attempt,” Gremillion said. “We help them reduce their anxiety, and we help them dramatically improve their test scores. We’ve seen test scores bump up by 30 points in just a day and a half after taking our course and learning our methods.”
Students also must take an exit exam after they graduate, she said. Gremillion said she has seen scores improve by 300-400 points by taking the three-day course.
Gremillion is well versed in her nursing career. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the OU College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Her career has ranged from cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cauterization, and teaching at Innovative Teaching Solutions. (story continues below)
She had a burning desire to become a nurse when she was 5 years old. She recalls helping her friends falling from a tricycle and she has always felt empathetic toward others.
“It was always in me. I truly believe it was a calling that God put in my life, and as far as teaching I believe the same thing,” Gremillion said.
She also travels to California once a month to work with nursing students. One of the questions nurses answer in the NCLEX exam focuses on recognizing the symptoms of digitalis toxicity.
“There are four answers, and each answer has about four or five items. So, by the time they read to the end of that answer, they’ve read about 20 different symptoms, and they don’t even remember what they’ve read,” Gremillion said. “They also might be afraid thinking they forgot to study for the question or have never seen a patient like that during nursing school.”
Gremillion teaches how to break down the answers that distract from the correct answer.
“I teach them how to rule out what is not the answer, and then they can be confident. This confidence I build in them really helps them pass,” she said.
Most of the classes are during the day but she will accommodate students when there is a need for evening classes.
Nursing school is hard and the students who persevere have a lot of grit, she said. Some students enter the profession as single parents. They may have several children and must work while going to school.
“I admire how they balance that,” she said. “They present themselves as caring individuals and prioritize what’s important,” she said.
She recently connected with students on the West Coast by a Zoom call. One of the students was taking his test the next day and was very nervous even though he was quite capable. He also lives with periodic panic attacks. She helped him with anti-anxiety strategies.
“I know I made a difference for him for not just (his test) but for his future,” she said.
One of the students told her the relaxing breathing techniques she learned not only helped her pass the test but also helped her marriage.
Flexibility makes nursing one of the best professions to enter, Gremillion said. She found her career offers her the freedom of travel, and a lot of people in other professions don’t have that luxury of choosing shifts.
“We can work extra shifts and grab extra jobs,” she said. “If you get bored with one job, there’s a thousand other jobs that you can try in different areas of nursing until you find the fit that’s right for you. You are always helping someone.”
She often hears from former students when entering a hospital or a clinic. Nurses will say hello. She might not recognize them immediately but has the highest respect for them.
“They are the owner of a hospital or the manager of a clinic or surgery,” Gremillion said. “Nurses go on to do so many wonderful things. It’s rewarding for me to see that.”
For more information about Innovative Teaching Solutions., visit https://www.itsnclexreview.com/
