Mockboard #3

I am a student examiner this afternoon and am going crazy without having something to do (since all my boards are done I don't have to study like crazy), so I thought that it would be nice to be productive and blog.  Today was our third and final mockboard.  I unfortunately didn't pass because of calculus errors, but everything else was spot on.  Alexander showed me a few pointers to help me improve like: coming up higher on my fulcrum.  There was one spot that I was struggling with and she showed me how much easier it is to access an area and be successful when you come up higher on your fulcrum.  I can't wait to have a patient that I can practice it on so I can improve.  I have to be honest, I'm nervous about boards, but I think that as long as I focus on fixing the things that I do wrong I will be ok.  I also was reminded of the importance of having sharp instruments.  By the end of my appointment my instruments were quite dull.  I'm glad that I saved a set of instruments for boards!

A Good Learning Experience

Yesterday at the VA I had a wonderful experience with a patient who had Parkinson's disease.  I have to admit that I was a little worried when I saw on my patient's health history that he had Parkinson's because I didn't want to mess up or do something wrong.  My patient came back with me in his remote controlled wheelchair (it was sweet!) and he was able to get himself into the dental chair.  Once we started talking I realized what a nice person he was and I decided that I would be able to handle the appointment without too much anxiety.  During the appointment he sat with his hands on top of the arm rests to help control his shaking and sometimes I would have to hurry and move my instruments so that I didn't poke him when he would move.  He had moderate to severe xerostomia and we took periodic breaks so he could have a little cup of water to drink.  I also had a good OH discussion with him.  He said that he bought a power toothbrush to help him brush better and he likes the bigger handle.  He said that he does his best to floss, especially the areas where food gets stuck.  He was happy to get more Biotene too.  He was such a great patient.  I really enjoyed getting to know him and getting to practice some of the things that we had discussed Monday in class. 

What a Week

During clinic on Thurday I had such a fun patient.  He wanted to know about everything and told me about everything.  He would say things like, "McCall, what's this?"  "McCall, this is my new CD player."  "McCall, do you want to listen to my CD?"  It was a good experience learning how to work with a patient who likes to talk.  We also would have to take periodic breaks for a couple minutes, which was a good lesson in patience.  It reminded me that people aren't the same and that as a hygienist I need to do whatever I can to make my patients comfortable.

Yesterday = found a board patient who is also going to be my mockboard!  Yes!  Thank you Sam for helping me.  I also practiced the PSA on my dad again since I failed it on Thursday.  I went more posterior like Pro. Alexander told me to do and everything worked perfectly!  I am now confident for LA clinicals.  A big thanks to my dad for being my patient.  :)

This week=studying like I've never studied before.  I was crazy enough (which I am now grateful for since it's all over) to take my board this weekend.  I have never studied so much in my whole life.  I felt good knowing that I could actually do it.  I took it this morning and feel so much lighter now that it's all done.

Dental Days... aka Give Kids a Smile

It has been fun helping out at this event.  Like I said in my earlier post, Sam and I were doing data entry.  I was happy to get to know Eaglesoft a little bit better and learn my codes better.  I am glad that I was able to be a part of this event.  I think that it is so cool that so many people (dentists, assistants, and hygienists) come together to do so much service for our community. 

A Week Long Summary

This is probably going to be a long blog... you've been warned.  So this week was/still is (today is the Give Kids a Smile Event and I am at the front desk doing data entry) a week full of clinic.  On Tuesday I saw 3 class V patients and was still done early.  I am amazed at how my skills have improved and I have gotten faster.  I think that having awesome teachers who really take the time to show me how to be a better hygienist have made all the difference in my skills improving.  I love how each teacher really has an area they focus on or a trick that they use all of the time that they share because then once I learn it I can use it and be better. 
On Thursday my whole day was full of 1Bs (not intentionally though).  I was able to pass off my caries risk assessment on my willing friend, which was nice.
Yesterday we did 2 sealant clinics.  One of the clinics was for James Madison Elementart and the other one was for Odessy Elementary.  Sam and I got to be in Radiology for the whole thing.  Being in charge of processing, cleaning up, and breaking down is a lot more work than it sounds.  By the time we were done I was exhausted, but it was a good experience.  I love being able to participate in these activities since we are getting to serve these kids.  Being a part of service activities reminds me that being a hygienist isn't just about working in private practice, it's about serving in the community too.