3/4

I can not believe that I am 3/4 through the program. Graduation is just around the corner and I am getting super stressed and anxious. I am panicking for boards. 5 boards to be exact. They are coming so fast! I am also super frustrated, not about school but over the fact that to be a Hygienist you have to take 5 board exams, and to be a nurse you have to only take 1. How is that even close to fair?! Oh and did I mention that the nursing board exam is 250 question where just one of the hygiene exams is 350? Also, once a nurse is licensed they are free to move anywhere in the country and not have to take a new exam? Dental hygienists have to take a new exam depending on where they are moving to. I just don't understand how nurses (who have patients lives at stake) can get off so easy! UGH! I just have to remind my self of the better parts of being a hygienist.... the pay, the schedules, the low-stress environment. It will all be worth it, won't it?

Difficulties

I recently had a patient at the VA who had severe periodontal disease. This was a first for me. Luckily this patient was super nice and easy to work with. I cleaned only two quads in a total of 5 hours. I was super frustrated that I couldn't do more. However, I had to remind myself that the amount of deposit that was on this patients teeth was so severe that it probably would have taken a licensed hygienist at least 3-4hours to do the same amount of work. Besides I still have 5 months left to work on my skills.

Patients.....

Over the last month I have seen a couple of patients that have moderate periodontal disease. That is the bad news. However, the good news is that throughout the weeks that I have been treating them I have seen some significant improvement. Seeing my patients doing the work to better their oral care is so rewarding! My own father came in to see me earlier in November and when I last saw him six months earlier he had some areas of concern. But when he came in this last visit he had improved so much and the areas of concern had diminished almost completely! It is so rewarding when you see all your hard work come to flourish.