It's been a while since I have posted on my blog. I was told to post my thoughts regarding clinic on a new facebook group blog, so I've been trying to do that with the intentions of continuing to blog here, so I can publish my dental hygiene experience in a book and have it as a dental hygiene memories keepsake. Since the change, of course life happens and I got really busy with class and life in general so I missed getting on here to blog. I plan to make it through my last few weeks to catch up and write about all the fun memories!
During Clinic for Week 11, I was able to be a Clinic assistant again. I was clinic assistant during Week 5 and didn't blog about it because it's boring. Since I plan to make this a memory book, I figured I should blog about being a CA just in case I wonder what the tasks were (I don't think I could ever forget! HA!).
As a Clinic Assistant, I had to check in patients for the morning and then go around clinic making sure supplies are stocked and things are running smoothly. I also had to set up the radiology room developers and stock the supplies there as well. It seems like a pretty laid back time to rest and regenerate for the next week of clinic; although, I was sorely wrong my first time being a CA. Mr. Salomon had me running around with my head cut off. I never did anything right (or so it seemed). He is a very bossy man which made it hard to work with him. He would fret about the little things, and let the things that matter (like replacing the old Cavitrons with the new one that were ordered in September, so we could actually use our inserts we paid for in August!) go by the way side. Anyway, when it's my turn to be CA I cringe. I don't enjoy it. I love seeing patients during clinic way better! I guess this is a good thing since I am planning on doing "clinic" for a really really long time :)
During the Afternoon, we had a lab day. We discussed new topics such as the Velscope, relearning the CPR routine, Wheelchair transfers, desensitization, and irrigation. The Velscope seemed like a silly tool to look for intraoral dysplasia. The machine is very expensive and seems like a waste of money because it doesn't actually tell you if the lesion is cancer. You still need a biopsy. Just another gadget invented for some dentist to get roped into buying. Going over CPR situations (durinf school they called them STAT situations) was a great review. It was nice to remember things I was taught and try to really remember them like I should. The wheelchair transfers were a fun change! I felt silly to be picked up and moved by my classmates like a was a handicap, but it was definitely a good experience. The last rotation was for densensitization and irrigation. I watched the hygienists that I worked with irrigate, so I understood the reasoning behind it and how they do it. The desensitization was a new thing I learned. It seemed simple like polishing a patient, but it is supposed to occlude the dentin tubules to avoid hypersensitivity. Since this was a new thing I was taught, I don't know how I feel about it. I plan to use it a few times on patients to see how it really works.
Week 11 was a low key clinic week. Nothing too exciting happened, but I did learn a lot as usual! :)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
I found my Class IV patient!!!- Tuesday November 6, 2012
I was at Midtown Dental Clinic today for my Tuesday clinic rotation. I was expecting an uneventful regular Midtown day. I was hoping today wouldn't be much different than the other days...
Even though we got word that Midtown quads now count toward regular clinic requirements, I wasn't expecting much. I'll be honest when I got word that quads counted I had mixed emotions. I felt like the students (of which I am a part of) who go to Midtown this semester got the crappy hand because we worked all the kinks and difficulties out while being there. The students going to the VA this semester will walk into Midtown with the first day seeing patients and having all work smoothly. I'm trying not to harbor hard feelings about this because, let's be honest, no one has control over this. Someone has to be the first one. I am trying to go with the flow and not let it bother me. For the most part, I don't worry about it because I know everything will work out, and I know I will graduate like the other thousand of people who graduated from WSU Dental Hygiene program. The only time that it bothers me is when someone asks for my opinion. I try to be short and sweet because it does raise my blood pressure a bit but then I get over it and move on with my day. Thank goodness I was raised by my mom and married someone just like her! Water on a duck's back ;)
Tangent over. Back to the topic...
This morning I was given a child to see first thing. She was very sweet and timid. She came with her mother for a dental cleaning. She did well for the most part but struggled when I had to wait for my instructor, the dentist, etc. I was able to clean her teeth and did x-rays in less than an hour. The next hour took the longest! I was waiting most of the time, but then I was able to get one sealant done for her and let her be on her way. She was very patient and didn't give me a bit of problems.
My next morning patient was the big BANG! I brought him back and immediately smelled his breath just from talking to him. This isn't abnormal, and I have noticed it before so that wasn't something that made me think too hard. In talking he mentioned it had been years since he had his teeth cleaned (again, not a shocker being at Midtown Dental Clinic). This is the answer I get with most patients. Since he was young, I didn't think anything of it. I just made note of it and continued with the appointment. It was when he agreed to take x-rays and the first one popped up on the computer....
WOW! Look at that bone loss! Is that even possible? "My teeth are a little loose." Thinking to myself, " A little? Jeez! That looks painful!"
My face was composed, and he didn't noticed that I was totally shocked at what I saw.
One of my classmates offered to help me chart the probing. Thank goodness! I knew this was going to be rough. My heart was racing because I was nervous to work on such a periodontally involved patient.
First tooth...
Of course this patient had all of his teeth. Wisdom teeth included which are impossible to probe around. Tooth #1 8-18-15.... oh jeez! I was in for it! Thankfully, this was the wiggly tooth that he was talking about. Although the probe depths were deep compared to the average patient, they weren't this deep generalized in his mouth!
Well, I got through the probing and knew without a doubt that my patient was a Class IV. Everyone was pretty excited for me, and so was I but deep inside I was terrified to start scaling. It seemed as though my instructor had complete confidence in me (I'm glad she did!). I got started. We agreed to get started on one quad and go from there. My instructor insisted that my patient get half of the mouth cleaned today, so that would limit dental office appointments. This meant that I would work through my lunch break, then have one of my classmates clean a quad so I could eat and then reschedule him. I wasn't super happy about sharing him because he was such a good experience, but I went with it for the same reason I went with the Midtown quads counting. I couldn't control the situation so there is no reason to get upset about it. I am able to clean 3 of the 4 quads, and I just deal with it.
I was able to administer 3 injections which was a great experience, and scale 1 quad only missing 1 area of calculus! GO me! This ended my day at Midtown. I am grateful for the experiences I get at Midtown. They have such a variety of patients that I am able to see. From Class IA to Class IV. I feel like with this experience I will become a better dental hygienist for the real world and have the ability to stay on schedule and do a great job!
Today was a great experience. I'm grateful for the things I learn at Midtown and for the people who help me succeed in dental hygiene.
Even though we got word that Midtown quads now count toward regular clinic requirements, I wasn't expecting much. I'll be honest when I got word that quads counted I had mixed emotions. I felt like the students (of which I am a part of) who go to Midtown this semester got the crappy hand because we worked all the kinks and difficulties out while being there. The students going to the VA this semester will walk into Midtown with the first day seeing patients and having all work smoothly. I'm trying not to harbor hard feelings about this because, let's be honest, no one has control over this. Someone has to be the first one. I am trying to go with the flow and not let it bother me. For the most part, I don't worry about it because I know everything will work out, and I know I will graduate like the other thousand of people who graduated from WSU Dental Hygiene program. The only time that it bothers me is when someone asks for my opinion. I try to be short and sweet because it does raise my blood pressure a bit but then I get over it and move on with my day. Thank goodness I was raised by my mom and married someone just like her! Water on a duck's back ;)
Tangent over. Back to the topic...
This morning I was given a child to see first thing. She was very sweet and timid. She came with her mother for a dental cleaning. She did well for the most part but struggled when I had to wait for my instructor, the dentist, etc. I was able to clean her teeth and did x-rays in less than an hour. The next hour took the longest! I was waiting most of the time, but then I was able to get one sealant done for her and let her be on her way. She was very patient and didn't give me a bit of problems.
My next morning patient was the big BANG! I brought him back and immediately smelled his breath just from talking to him. This isn't abnormal, and I have noticed it before so that wasn't something that made me think too hard. In talking he mentioned it had been years since he had his teeth cleaned (again, not a shocker being at Midtown Dental Clinic). This is the answer I get with most patients. Since he was young, I didn't think anything of it. I just made note of it and continued with the appointment. It was when he agreed to take x-rays and the first one popped up on the computer....
WOW! Look at that bone loss! Is that even possible? "My teeth are a little loose." Thinking to myself, " A little? Jeez! That looks painful!"
My face was composed, and he didn't noticed that I was totally shocked at what I saw.
One of my classmates offered to help me chart the probing. Thank goodness! I knew this was going to be rough. My heart was racing because I was nervous to work on such a periodontally involved patient.
First tooth...
Of course this patient had all of his teeth. Wisdom teeth included which are impossible to probe around. Tooth #1 8-18-15.... oh jeez! I was in for it! Thankfully, this was the wiggly tooth that he was talking about. Although the probe depths were deep compared to the average patient, they weren't this deep generalized in his mouth!
Well, I got through the probing and knew without a doubt that my patient was a Class IV. Everyone was pretty excited for me, and so was I but deep inside I was terrified to start scaling. It seemed as though my instructor had complete confidence in me (I'm glad she did!). I got started. We agreed to get started on one quad and go from there. My instructor insisted that my patient get half of the mouth cleaned today, so that would limit dental office appointments. This meant that I would work through my lunch break, then have one of my classmates clean a quad so I could eat and then reschedule him. I wasn't super happy about sharing him because he was such a good experience, but I went with it for the same reason I went with the Midtown quads counting. I couldn't control the situation so there is no reason to get upset about it. I am able to clean 3 of the 4 quads, and I just deal with it.
I was able to administer 3 injections which was a great experience, and scale 1 quad only missing 1 area of calculus! GO me! This ended my day at Midtown. I am grateful for the experiences I get at Midtown. They have such a variety of patients that I am able to see. From Class IA to Class IV. I feel like with this experience I will become a better dental hygienist for the real world and have the ability to stay on schedule and do a great job!
Today was a great experience. I'm grateful for the things I learn at Midtown and for the people who help me succeed in dental hygiene.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Week 10- Thursday November 1, 2012
This morning I was able to see a patient I screened for my Junior requirements. I forgot I saw him, and let him fall through the cracks.. oops! He ended up calling the clinic who then emailed me to get him scheduled. This was nice because I knew who he was and what his classification was, so there was no guessing! When I confirmed his appointment with him, he was really weird on the phone. He said he couldn't afford anything but the cleaning like I was a used car sales man trying to gear him up for a sales pitch during his appointment trying to get him to sign up for some unnecessary things. It kind of bugged me. Oh well! He came on time, and I was able to complete his whole cleaning. I'm not sure where my skills have gone, but they haven't been with me the last week because I've been missing a lot of areas and my brain has taken a hike. I missed five areas of calculus! I've been kind of discouraged with scaling this last week at Midtown Dental Clinic, so it must've carried with me to WSU dental hygiene clinic. I need to figure out what is going on before too long because I'm supposed to know what I'm doing!
This afternoon, I was able to see my mother-in-law for her cleaning. Since I cleaned her teeth last semester, I knew what I was getting myself into unlike with some of my other patients. I was able to administer Nitrous Oxide to calm her down a little more than last time, and it really seemed to help. This was a good experience too because not only was I able to complete a PE, I was able to experience what it is like cleaning around a Nitrous nose piece. It actually wasn't too bad; although, I wasn't scaling a periodontally involved patient. She also allowed me to check her Blood Glucose level for my PE, and it came back normal. This is great information for her and a good experience for me! Overall, this appointment went well. I need to figure out what is going on when I see a perio patient. I used to do really well with them until this week (well actually Mock Boards wasn't good either). I feel like when I slow down I over-analyze things, but if I'm too quick and confident, I missed areas too. Ahh.... I don't know what the problem is.
Just keep swimming!
This afternoon, I was able to see my mother-in-law for her cleaning. Since I cleaned her teeth last semester, I knew what I was getting myself into unlike with some of my other patients. I was able to administer Nitrous Oxide to calm her down a little more than last time, and it really seemed to help. This was a good experience too because not only was I able to complete a PE, I was able to experience what it is like cleaning around a Nitrous nose piece. It actually wasn't too bad; although, I wasn't scaling a periodontally involved patient. She also allowed me to check her Blood Glucose level for my PE, and it came back normal. This is great information for her and a good experience for me! Overall, this appointment went well. I need to figure out what is going on when I see a perio patient. I used to do really well with them until this week (well actually Mock Boards wasn't good either). I feel like when I slow down I over-analyze things, but if I'm too quick and confident, I missed areas too. Ahh.... I don't know what the problem is.
Just keep swimming!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Week 9- Thursday October 25, 2012
The patients I was able to see today were compliments of 2 of my classmates for doing so research and allowing me to see them! Thank you Sierra and Hailey!
Morning: I was able to see two children during this appointment. They were both boys ages 9 and 10 from a family who's father was beign seen originally by Mark, but since he didn't realize he was CA for the day, he was able to help Ashton out and give him a morning patient. My patients' father spoke Spanish and broken English, so I was very thankful Mark was able to set up the appointments for me and him even though it didn't work out for him. The two boys spoke English very well and soke Spanish to their mother when I wasn't seeing them. They were both very energetic and curious abotu EVERYTHING! Hands were every where! I was trying to help keep them under control with very little help of their mother. I managed to get through :) I saw the youngest first. We were able to do BWX with a little education to the parents and a full cleaning. He did very well and didn't complain much other than when I used the Shick sensor for the second x-ray and when I was scaling. The poor boy had many cavities and didn't have good OH. I felt bad but knew I was doing the best I could for him.
When it was his brother's turn, I found that he had ADHD (which was no surprise to me!). He literally started touching every instrument I had on the tray, the mouse and keyboard for the computer, the safety glasses, other instruments, etc! I tried hard to keep him under control with no success. I speedily got him to the x-ray room thinking this would keep him contained... boy was I wrong! He started pumping the chair, laying it back, opening drawers, etc! AHH! I got his x-rays completed and got him back to the chair. I really had to hurry keeping my hands in his mouth and hid body in the chair or he would be on to the next thing. I was able to complete all the charting and scaling with many bumps along the way but still proud I got that far! I noted a couple sealants and to my surprise mom and dad approved them, and I was able to get that done for him and meet some requirements. When the boy heard he needed sealants, he immediately started crying (not having any idea what sealants were and how they were placed). Oh boy! I really needed to take a step back and help him understand each and every step. I showed him all of them on a 2x2 gauze. I think this actually helped! I was so shocked. He did very well, and I didn't have to repeat any of the steps! He ended up being my friend at the end and said he would come back to get his teeth cleaned again! SUCCESS! :)
Afternoon: My patient was found in a list the Hailey printed, and just by chance, he was able to come in and was happy that I called! I didn't have any success with patients on that list before him and still haven't since him. He spoke very broken English, so I had Wade confirm the appointment for him to make sure he understood everything. I was trying to find my own interpreter to help my patient feel at ease but struggled. Wednesday evening, I received an email from the Spanish department's student who said she would be able to help me! I thought it would be too good to be true, but I asked her if she could help me.... and she said YES! AMAZING! I actually had a reliable interpreter who I could count on to be there for me with my Spanish speaking patients. She said she would be there and she showed up early! My patient was very thankful and didn't know I had an interpreter for him (he didn't ask and I didn't say I would because I had trouble finding one). I was able to do 4 BWX,4 PAX ,and complete 2 quads of Class III scaling today! I am so thankful for wonderful people who are willing to help me succeed! My patient was very sweet to allow me to pass of several PEs (Local Anesthesia of which I gave 5 injecitons, Ultrasonic #2, and Root Debridement). He did very well in the dental chair and plans to come back to complete the other half of his mouth! What a great day to fulfill many of my requirements!
Morning: I was able to see two children during this appointment. They were both boys ages 9 and 10 from a family who's father was beign seen originally by Mark, but since he didn't realize he was CA for the day, he was able to help Ashton out and give him a morning patient. My patients' father spoke Spanish and broken English, so I was very thankful Mark was able to set up the appointments for me and him even though it didn't work out for him. The two boys spoke English very well and soke Spanish to their mother when I wasn't seeing them. They were both very energetic and curious abotu EVERYTHING! Hands were every where! I was trying to help keep them under control with very little help of their mother. I managed to get through :) I saw the youngest first. We were able to do BWX with a little education to the parents and a full cleaning. He did very well and didn't complain much other than when I used the Shick sensor for the second x-ray and when I was scaling. The poor boy had many cavities and didn't have good OH. I felt bad but knew I was doing the best I could for him.
When it was his brother's turn, I found that he had ADHD (which was no surprise to me!). He literally started touching every instrument I had on the tray, the mouse and keyboard for the computer, the safety glasses, other instruments, etc! I tried hard to keep him under control with no success. I speedily got him to the x-ray room thinking this would keep him contained... boy was I wrong! He started pumping the chair, laying it back, opening drawers, etc! AHH! I got his x-rays completed and got him back to the chair. I really had to hurry keeping my hands in his mouth and hid body in the chair or he would be on to the next thing. I was able to complete all the charting and scaling with many bumps along the way but still proud I got that far! I noted a couple sealants and to my surprise mom and dad approved them, and I was able to get that done for him and meet some requirements. When the boy heard he needed sealants, he immediately started crying (not having any idea what sealants were and how they were placed). Oh boy! I really needed to take a step back and help him understand each and every step. I showed him all of them on a 2x2 gauze. I think this actually helped! I was so shocked. He did very well, and I didn't have to repeat any of the steps! He ended up being my friend at the end and said he would come back to get his teeth cleaned again! SUCCESS! :)
Afternoon: My patient was found in a list the Hailey printed, and just by chance, he was able to come in and was happy that I called! I didn't have any success with patients on that list before him and still haven't since him. He spoke very broken English, so I had Wade confirm the appointment for him to make sure he understood everything. I was trying to find my own interpreter to help my patient feel at ease but struggled. Wednesday evening, I received an email from the Spanish department's student who said she would be able to help me! I thought it would be too good to be true, but I asked her if she could help me.... and she said YES! AMAZING! I actually had a reliable interpreter who I could count on to be there for me with my Spanish speaking patients. She said she would be there and she showed up early! My patient was very thankful and didn't know I had an interpreter for him (he didn't ask and I didn't say I would because I had trouble finding one). I was able to do 4 BWX,4 PAX ,and complete 2 quads of Class III scaling today! I am so thankful for wonderful people who are willing to help me succeed! My patient was very sweet to allow me to pass of several PEs (Local Anesthesia of which I gave 5 injecitons, Ultrasonic #2, and Root Debridement). He did very well in the dental chair and plans to come back to complete the other half of his mouth! What a great day to fulfill many of my requirements!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Week 8 - Mock Boards - Thursday October 18, 2012
Last Thursday was my first Mock Board experience. I found my Mock Board patient Tuesday the week before the week of Mock Boards. I was so nervous that I wasn't going to find one, but a miracle happened and I found one! He was very nice to come in and help me out! I was able to have him pay for all the x-rays necessary and the cost of the one quad of scaling. Some people actually had to pay for these things to get their patient to come. I guess I would too if I had to, but I am so grateful I didn't have to! Any way, enough of the background info...
My Mock Board time was 12:30pm, so I was able to be a student examiner first. This was a great experience to really feel what calculus feels like... and A LOT of it! I had to do a little studying while the patients were being scaled, but once the time was up, it was interesting to see the same patients back without the calculus... well some. There were quite a few who missed a lot of pieces of calculus which really surprised me because I would have complete confidence in all of them. My professor said that this is typical because we don't have added guidance throughout the treatment like we do normally. Makes perfect sense! Obviously, after seeing some patients, I felt a bit nervous for my time to do it. I wanted to do well, and thought I would but I also thought my fellow classmates would do better than they did. Soo 12:30pm comes around... My patient showed up early like I had asked, so there was less stress. I was able to go through all of the paperwork one more time, but since he spoke Spanish, it made it a little difficult.
I was the first student to submit my patient to the student examiners like I thought I would since I had experience being the Clinic Assistant during WREB last March. I was still nervous waiting to see if my patient qualified even though I knew there was no doubt. I guess the nerves still get to you! Once my patient came back, I got right to it. I started with my ultrasonic, then went to my Graceys, then to my regular posterior and anterior scalers, back to my ultrasonic, charted, and then explored, scaled, explored, scaled, explored, scaled, etc etc! I felt pretty confident with my submission other than tooth #3. I couldn't seem to get that tooth smooth. I knew I needed to just submit because I did the best I could, so I did!
Results... well, I didn't do horrible, but I didn't do super great either. I missed 2 clicks of calculus, 1 probe reading (really 3, but they only recorded certain ones), and 1 recession point (which I knew I should've marked!). Not too bad for my first time. The probing area seemed a little weird to me though. I got a 5mm and the examiner got 3mm. I'm not really sure how that works. Oh well! It was a great experience, and I am so glad I had a patient who was able to help me learn and actually go through the process before the actual exam.
My Mock Board time was 12:30pm, so I was able to be a student examiner first. This was a great experience to really feel what calculus feels like... and A LOT of it! I had to do a little studying while the patients were being scaled, but once the time was up, it was interesting to see the same patients back without the calculus... well some. There were quite a few who missed a lot of pieces of calculus which really surprised me because I would have complete confidence in all of them. My professor said that this is typical because we don't have added guidance throughout the treatment like we do normally. Makes perfect sense! Obviously, after seeing some patients, I felt a bit nervous for my time to do it. I wanted to do well, and thought I would but I also thought my fellow classmates would do better than they did. Soo 12:30pm comes around... My patient showed up early like I had asked, so there was less stress. I was able to go through all of the paperwork one more time, but since he spoke Spanish, it made it a little difficult.
I was the first student to submit my patient to the student examiners like I thought I would since I had experience being the Clinic Assistant during WREB last March. I was still nervous waiting to see if my patient qualified even though I knew there was no doubt. I guess the nerves still get to you! Once my patient came back, I got right to it. I started with my ultrasonic, then went to my Graceys, then to my regular posterior and anterior scalers, back to my ultrasonic, charted, and then explored, scaled, explored, scaled, explored, scaled, etc etc! I felt pretty confident with my submission other than tooth #3. I couldn't seem to get that tooth smooth. I knew I needed to just submit because I did the best I could, so I did!
Results... well, I didn't do horrible, but I didn't do super great either. I missed 2 clicks of calculus, 1 probe reading (really 3, but they only recorded certain ones), and 1 recession point (which I knew I should've marked!). Not too bad for my first time. The probing area seemed a little weird to me though. I got a 5mm and the examiner got 3mm. I'm not really sure how that works. Oh well! It was a great experience, and I am so glad I had a patient who was able to help me learn and actually go through the process before the actual exam.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Week 7- Thursday October 11, 2012
I can't believe my 8:00am patients that I schedule! Another cancellation! I was frantically trying to find a patient to schedule when I remembered my herpic lesion patient wanted to be bumped if I had a cancellation. I called him and my IA patient and they were both able to come this morning! YAY! Today ended up being very productive which was nice to have considering yesterday was emotionally exhausting after a funeral of my husband's dear friend.
Morning: I was able to see my Class III 2 quads and complete him quickly. I was also able to see my Class IA patient during the same session which was nice to double book. My Class III patient was so sweet. I connected with him instantly during the last appointment. He was so sweet to always ask about my dad and give me pointers to help him quit his battle of smoking since he was able to quit a couple of years ago. He was so genuine when my instructor came to check him. He definitely gave me the boost I needed. My Class IA was a little difficult. I know her from my ward, so I thought it would go smoother than it did. It took a lot of bribing and finally dinosaur stickers did the trick! Who would've thought? She opened wide and let me do what I needed to do :)
Afternoon: I was able to see a patient that was seen by a previous dental hygiene student that I worked with over the summer. She knows this patient personally, so it was very nice to have her come! She showed up a little late because she got lost but I was glad she actually came. She, too, was a sweetheart. She did so well in my chair and complimented me every chance she could. I am so grateful for wonderful people in this world to help build me up and change my day into a great one and to help me on my road to becoming a dental hygienist!
Morning: I was able to see my Class III 2 quads and complete him quickly. I was also able to see my Class IA patient during the same session which was nice to double book. My Class III patient was so sweet. I connected with him instantly during the last appointment. He was so sweet to always ask about my dad and give me pointers to help him quit his battle of smoking since he was able to quit a couple of years ago. He was so genuine when my instructor came to check him. He definitely gave me the boost I needed. My Class IA was a little difficult. I know her from my ward, so I thought it would go smoother than it did. It took a lot of bribing and finally dinosaur stickers did the trick! Who would've thought? She opened wide and let me do what I needed to do :)
Afternoon: I was able to see a patient that was seen by a previous dental hygiene student that I worked with over the summer. She knows this patient personally, so it was very nice to have her come! She showed up a little late because she got lost but I was glad she actually came. She, too, was a sweetheart. She did so well in my chair and complimented me every chance she could. I am so grateful for wonderful people in this world to help build me up and change my day into a great one and to help me on my road to becoming a dental hygienist!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Week 6- Thursday October 4, 2012
Today was the first day I actually had no issues with patients cancelling or no-showing! YAY! I am exhausted though....
Morning:
I was able to see a patient that my peer pal saw as her board patient! I wasn't sure what I thought I would get as far as classifications go, but I knew it shouldn't be too bad since it had only been 7 months. Boy was I wrong! He definitely wasn't as bad as he was for boards, but it was still tough for me to remove some of the calculus. In fact, I missed some areas :( This appointment made me question if I really know what calculus feels like because I couldn't feel it when I was told to try. Bummer..
Afternoon:
I found this patient on the recall list when I was trying to fill a different day. I made this appointment and was a little nervous she wouldn't show up because she was concerned about missing her lunch time at the home she lives in. To my surprise, she confirmed her appointment and showed up... late of course. The juniors were observing the clinic this afternoon, and lucky for me, the one in my pod followed me through the whole appointment and helped throughout the whole thing! My patient had many medications which took a long time. She agreed to have a full mouth x-ray, but gagged, cried, and sweat during the whole thing. She didn't have a bad attitude, and she tried to be compliant during the whole thing, but her mouth was small. I struggled! The junior observing me knew it too. My instructor ended up giving my patient 4 of the 14 PAs for free. My patient, to my astonishment, felt very bad about it and was willing to try yet again. She really was such a trooper but very difficult to work on. When I started probing, I was hoping she would be a mock board patient. Although she hasn't been seen at the clinic for 8 years, she didn't have enough calculus to qualify. I started scaling right away and noticed she had a lot of calculus and it was going to be a struggle to get it all off. I was grateful to have a good patient for my observer to see! I ended up missing 2 areas of calculus, but given how much she had, I was very proud I only missed that much.
One day, I will be able to see a patient like I did today and actually complete them without any missed areas. That is one of my goals. . . one day!
Morning:
I was able to see a patient that my peer pal saw as her board patient! I wasn't sure what I thought I would get as far as classifications go, but I knew it shouldn't be too bad since it had only been 7 months. Boy was I wrong! He definitely wasn't as bad as he was for boards, but it was still tough for me to remove some of the calculus. In fact, I missed some areas :( This appointment made me question if I really know what calculus feels like because I couldn't feel it when I was told to try. Bummer..
Afternoon:
I found this patient on the recall list when I was trying to fill a different day. I made this appointment and was a little nervous she wouldn't show up because she was concerned about missing her lunch time at the home she lives in. To my surprise, she confirmed her appointment and showed up... late of course. The juniors were observing the clinic this afternoon, and lucky for me, the one in my pod followed me through the whole appointment and helped throughout the whole thing! My patient had many medications which took a long time. She agreed to have a full mouth x-ray, but gagged, cried, and sweat during the whole thing. She didn't have a bad attitude, and she tried to be compliant during the whole thing, but her mouth was small. I struggled! The junior observing me knew it too. My instructor ended up giving my patient 4 of the 14 PAs for free. My patient, to my astonishment, felt very bad about it and was willing to try yet again. She really was such a trooper but very difficult to work on. When I started probing, I was hoping she would be a mock board patient. Although she hasn't been seen at the clinic for 8 years, she didn't have enough calculus to qualify. I started scaling right away and noticed she had a lot of calculus and it was going to be a struggle to get it all off. I was grateful to have a good patient for my observer to see! I ended up missing 2 areas of calculus, but given how much she had, I was very proud I only missed that much.
One day, I will be able to see a patient like I did today and actually complete them without any missed areas. That is one of my goals. . . one day!
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