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.

Crowns popping off...

What a day! In the morning I saw a true class II patient. She is absolutely wonderful and might be my board patient! I feel so blessed to have stumbled across this woman's family. I received five new patients from this one family! They are all so nice and willing to help me I will have to think of a great gift to give them if I use her as my board patient. In the afternoon my grandma and cousin came in to get their treatment completed. While cleaning my grandmas teeth I happened to "pop" off one of her crowns. It turned out it was because of a fractured root and luckily the Dr was able to re-cement it back on. She will probably need a bridge or an implant in the future. I am just glad that my first experience with removing a tooth was on someone who loves me! There are only four more days left in clinic for my third semester. The time is really flying..... Will I be ready to graduate next semester?

Kind of a sucky day.

I feel like I got absolutely nothing done today. However, the good news is that my first patient today is another class three!! The bad news is that I feel like I am getting slower. It took me all morning to do an OD on my class three. Then this afternoon I spent almost two hours with a 1B. Okay so most of that time was spent chatting.... but still! When will get faster!! AH! When my class three returns next month I will be giving my first injections on a real patient.... wish me luck!

Busy, busy...

It has been quite busy these last couple of weeks and it is about to become even more crazy. This coming week I will have two exams and mockboards! I am pretty nervous for mockboards this coming Tuesday. I am just really hoping my patient will qualify. I saved only one quad for mockboards and I hope it will be enough! Last Friday was our last day of injecting each other in our local anesthetic class. Now we are free to practice on our patients. I think I am even more nervous for that then I was for practicing on each other. I just hope I can make it through this week then it will be time for some relaxing during fall break.

First injection day...

WHEW! Today we did our first injections! It was really nerve wreaking and freaky at first. However, after watching and practicing it went really smooth. Miriam was my lab partner and she did a fantastic job! I didn't feel a thing! Also this week I saw some of my family memebers in clinic. My aunt, two cousins, and my grandma all came in to see me. I am such a lucky girl to have such wonderful family who would take a day to come up and let me practice on them. At the VA I finally got some more x-rays done and I saw two patients. Our first exam is coming up and I hope I can find time in my schedule to study. Also this last week I had the opportunity to help the first year girls with their probing. I remember my first time and I have to wonder.... was I that nervous?

Progress

Last Tuesday in clinic I had a pretty productive day. In the morning I saw a class 1B, (my mom) and a class 1A (my niece). Then in the afternoon I saw my class III patient again to finish their cleaning. I also passed off two PE's! I feel good about my progress and everything I was able to achieve in just one day! Next week I am looking forward to helping the Jr class learn their probing skills. I remember how nervous I was when I first learned how to probe. It will be fun to help, and encourage the new Jr class. I also have the VA next week, I find it very challenging at the VA, but also rewarding.

Crazy Days

This week went by really fast. It probably had a lot to do with Labor Day being on Monday so I had a day off from school. However, it was still very chaotic. I had clinic all day on Tuesday and saw two class III patients. On Wednesday I was a TA in the first year clinic, which I usually enjoy but when I am repeating how to chart a health history over and over again, I found myself very exhausted... mentally. Then on Thursday I saw patients at the VA. I saw yet another class III and then a really sweet older guy who was a class V. To top it all off on Friday I spent 9 hours doing oral cancer screenings and collecting numbers for potential patients while volunteering at the Women's Health Connection. I am only three weeks into the fall semester and I am already super stressed and exhausted! Right now the only bright light is knowing that I will have an easy class IB on Tuesday and that if I can just hold on for 8 more months....it will all be worth it.....right?

Good week

In clinic this week I was able to find two patients that are both class 3's! I am so excited about it. One of them is going to be my mockboard patient in October! The other one is an exam patient so hopefully I will do well and pass the exam! It has been a busy and stressful week but it is about over...thank goodness. Next week I will be seeing my two patients back again and then I will also have the VA. I am really looking forward to using my Gracies more and becoming more comfortable in my scaling abilities.

First week back...

The first week came and went, and it was a very long week. I feel like my brain is going to explode from all the information I am trying to cram in. I had three days of full clinic this week one of those days was at the VA. I saw my first patient this week down at the VA and I have to admit I was pretty freaked out. It had been four months since the last time I did a dental cleaning! Overall it went well, but I wish I was faster at somethings. I know I will get there eventually. Next week I have a really hard patient that I will see in clinic. I am looking forward to the challenge.

Last clinic day of my first year!!

WooHoo! I made it through the first year of clinic!! All that is left of this semester is three finals!! Wish me luck! And talk to you all later, enjoy your break!

My Denture Patient

Well today my patient (my wonderful Grandpa) came in today to let me clean his dentures and do an oral cancer screening. It went well and it was so much fun to see my grandparents and have time to visit with them. Only one more week of the semester and I can't wait for the summer!

Last of my required quads!

Yesterday I finished my requirements for the quads I needed. All that is left is a few PE's and 2 sets of x-rays!! WooHoo!! The semester is almost over! Its been a stressful one but I learned a lot and had tons of clinic experience. Yesterday we met the new class coming in.... I cant believe I am almost in my last year of school!!!

Long but successful day...

Well today I spent both morning and evening in clinic seeing my patient that is a class III. I am overall very pleased with what I accomplished today. I thought it would have taken me at least four appointments to complete a class III but it only took me three clinic sessions. I am just feeling so great right now, the only thing I have left to meet all my requirements is 3 quads of a 1B, which hopefully my brother in-law will be next week. Hurray!! I am almost finished with this semester!

Good Week

Well spring break came and went. I had a blast in DC but I am also glad to be back and to finish up this semester. On Monday I finally found my class III!! Hurray! I am going to clean my patient that is a class III next Monday all day. I am going to be morning and afternoon clinic. My Dad came in today for me to finish cleaning his teeth. I am now officially done with all my exam patients. I hope I did not kill my Dad too much. I was able to practice with my Gracies today and to pass off three of my PE's! Thank goodness for wonderful Dads!!

Good Day

Today my niece Alyssa came in to see me in clinic. I did four x-rays, I handscaled four quads, and I did four sealants! It was a good day, I did a lot and I completed everything I was hoping to achieve today! YEAH!!

more bad luck

The day started off pretty bad. My first patient had really high blood pressure and so I could not see him with out a physican consult. He will come back at the end of the month. It seems like all of my patients have high blood pressure... are they all that nervous to see me? Luckilly my mom was planning on coming in later, so instead she came early. I ended up doing a sealant on my mom and passed of three PE's!! I can not wait for this semester to be over!!

Hurray!!

So I gave my self a goal of completing a 1B in one appointment, and I did it!! I am feeling so great right now I can't believe I managed it! I also passed of a PE and I had this as an exam patient! Wow! I am on cloud 9 right now!

Getting Nervous!

So I have just realized that in order for me to meet all of my requirements before the end of the semester, I will have to finish all of my 1B classifications in one appointment! I haven't even come close to finishing a 1B in one appointment! I am so nervous that I won't pass this semester! Also, even if I meet all my requirements, I have to have so many extra completed quadrants just to pass in clinic! What am I going to do?!