Morning:
Again, I had a patient cancel. This makes my life so much more stressful when I am scrambling for a patient last minute. I was able to fill the appointment with a patient who just had teeth on the lower arch. Since I knew this, I scheduled a Class 1A patient together to make up the difference in time. Well.. my Class 1A patient came down with a fever and started throwing up last night, so her mom (my friend) text me and told me she didn't think she would be able to come. Trying to be positive and knowing I wouldn't be able to fill the time slot, I told her to let me know in the morning with hopes that she would get better over night... wishful thinking! She is still sick and not doing well :( Bummer! Anyway, my other patient came in. I got through the whole OD and 7 PAX. I got my instructor for an OD check and she noticed.... HERPES! AHHH!!! I can't believe it! I was so embarrassed. I'm supposed to know what this looks like and diagnose it myself. I should've excused him myself. Dang it! I felt like such an idiot. I felt bad for my patient. It was definitely a humbling learning experience for sure.
Afternoon:
This appointment went much better. I was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at me, but it went really smooth. I was able to see a Class V patient who was very sweet during the whole appointment. I am grateful for reliable easy-going patients. I was also able to do 1 set of BWX on her which was nice to be able to check off some things on my requirement list! Today was a day full of learning experiences to make me a better clinician.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Week 3- Thursday September 13, 2012
Week 3 Clinic
Morning:
4 quads Class II, 4 BWX Shick. PEs Ultrasonic #1 and Calculus Removal #1
This particular appointment (not the patient) was a killer! I had such a hard time yesterday. The patient I was supposed to see this morning was a Class III I saw at Midtown. I was able to complete 1 quad at Midtown so I could see him here at the clinic for credit. He was scheduled from last weeks Midtown experience. He speaks Spanish so it was difficult to explain the importance of his mouth to my clinical experience. One thing lead to another, he canceled last night at 4 o'clock and rescheduled at Midtown. My blood pressure was through the roof frantically trying to find someone to fill this appointment. I was able to have a lady I contacted earlier this week come in. She was so sweet to come in on last minute notice. I was worried this whole experience was going to throw me off today with a bad attitude. For some reason, when I saw my patient this morning, it made me happy. She was so sweet and knew Great Grandma Steed, so we hit it off right away. I was on a roll! I was able to complete so much and only miss 1 spot of calculus on her. It was definitely a confidence booster!
Afternoon:
4 quads Class V. PEs Selective Polish and Diagnodent
My patient from last semester came back today. She was easy to schedule and showed up on time with no issues. I was so grateful for such a compliant patient. I worked hard and got her completed early. This was a benefit to her and to me since I had to see her twice last semester. I didn't miss any calculus on her which was an added bonus. I feel good about seeing patients. Now, if only they would keep their appointments and show up on time! :)
Morning:
4 quads Class II, 4 BWX Shick. PEs Ultrasonic #1 and Calculus Removal #1
This particular appointment (not the patient) was a killer! I had such a hard time yesterday. The patient I was supposed to see this morning was a Class III I saw at Midtown. I was able to complete 1 quad at Midtown so I could see him here at the clinic for credit. He was scheduled from last weeks Midtown experience. He speaks Spanish so it was difficult to explain the importance of his mouth to my clinical experience. One thing lead to another, he canceled last night at 4 o'clock and rescheduled at Midtown. My blood pressure was through the roof frantically trying to find someone to fill this appointment. I was able to have a lady I contacted earlier this week come in. She was so sweet to come in on last minute notice. I was worried this whole experience was going to throw me off today with a bad attitude. For some reason, when I saw my patient this morning, it made me happy. She was so sweet and knew Great Grandma Steed, so we hit it off right away. I was on a roll! I was able to complete so much and only miss 1 spot of calculus on her. It was definitely a confidence booster!
Afternoon:
4 quads Class V. PEs Selective Polish and Diagnodent
My patient from last semester came back today. She was easy to schedule and showed up on time with no issues. I was so grateful for such a compliant patient. I worked hard and got her completed early. This was a benefit to her and to me since I had to see her twice last semester. I didn't miss any calculus on her which was an added bonus. I feel good about seeing patients. Now, if only they would keep their appointments and show up on time! :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Week 2- Thursday September 6, 2012
1st Day of seeing patients for Senior Clinic
I can't believe I am actually in Senior Clinic. I couldn't sleep the night before because I kept waking up thinking about things I needed to remember for clinic that day. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I finally woke up in the morning. I was doing okay on time to get to school with enough time to review and setup for my patients until.... the truck wouldn't start. No lights were on and my heart started pounding. I was panicking! I called my friend down the road, Kim, and asked her if she was available. Thank goodness, she was!! Since my night and morning were thrown off, I was a little unorganized and all over the place. Oh and I forgot to mention, I came down with a head cold Tuesday which made focusing that much harder! I was able to see 2 patients one was a Class V (my peer pal's mom) and the other was a Class IB (my father-in-law). I am so thankful I made it through my first clinic day and completed everything I needed to. I have a lot to work on for the semester to get back with it, but I am excited for the next clinic session because I plan to get better and better with each!
I can't believe I am actually in Senior Clinic. I couldn't sleep the night before because I kept waking up thinking about things I needed to remember for clinic that day. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I finally woke up in the morning. I was doing okay on time to get to school with enough time to review and setup for my patients until.... the truck wouldn't start. No lights were on and my heart started pounding. I was panicking! I called my friend down the road, Kim, and asked her if she was available. Thank goodness, she was!! Since my night and morning were thrown off, I was a little unorganized and all over the place. Oh and I forgot to mention, I came down with a head cold Tuesday which made focusing that much harder! I was able to see 2 patients one was a Class V (my peer pal's mom) and the other was a Class IB (my father-in-law). I am so thankful I made it through my first clinic day and completed everything I needed to. I have a lot to work on for the semester to get back with it, but I am excited for the next clinic session because I plan to get better and better with each!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
April 11, 2012 Patient #17
GOAL: Complete a full Class IB appointment from start to finish today
ACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB with no missed calculus, took 4 BWX
Today was just an extra day and a feather in my cap. It didn't mean extra points just extra experience. My patient showed up 10 minutes late, so I was worried I wasn't going to make my goal. Although, I was a little stressed about this, I still was able to maintain my composure and get through it. She took 3 different kinds of medication and had to fill out her HHx when she got there. I was able to get through all of this and take her x-rays within the first hour.
I had a couple of hours to scale and complete the cleaning. I was able to give her adequate OHI and demonstrate and give her OH aids that will help her maintain her great homecare. Overall, I felt like today was a great learning experience and I was able to complete it. My patient thanked me for my service and complimented me for the way I treated her. I was grateful I was able to make her happy and give her another reason to come back to the hygiene clinic.
I was so glad today was the last day of clinic for the stress that requirements give, but I will really miss the opportunity and growth I had during this semester. I look forward to Senior Clinic and all I will learn within the next year. I wish I could continue to hone my skills through the summer.
ACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB with no missed calculus, took 4 BWX
Today was just an extra day and a feather in my cap. It didn't mean extra points just extra experience. My patient showed up 10 minutes late, so I was worried I wasn't going to make my goal. Although, I was a little stressed about this, I still was able to maintain my composure and get through it. She took 3 different kinds of medication and had to fill out her HHx when she got there. I was able to get through all of this and take her x-rays within the first hour.
I had a couple of hours to scale and complete the cleaning. I was able to give her adequate OHI and demonstrate and give her OH aids that will help her maintain her great homecare. Overall, I felt like today was a great learning experience and I was able to complete it. My patient thanked me for my service and complimented me for the way I treated her. I was grateful I was able to make her happy and give her another reason to come back to the hygiene clinic.
I was so glad today was the last day of clinic for the stress that requirements give, but I will really miss the opportunity and growth I had during this semester. I look forward to Senior Clinic and all I will learn within the next year. I wish I could continue to hone my skills through the summer.
April 9, 2012 patient #16
GOAL: Complete 4 quads Class IBACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB
Today was going to be a pretty laid back day. This patient was another of Kelsi's patients who she couldn't see, so I planned to see him. She did everything beside the quad scale which is the best part! It went really smooth and very quickly. The patient was dropped off by his mother, and she left and didn't come back until well after I completed the cleaning. The patient seemed happy with the appointment and his mother was glad it didn't take too much longer. She was happy that her whole family was able to be seen this semester and plans to bring them all back for their next cleanings.
The exciting part about this appointment for me was the once I completed it, I was able to have 62 quads complete thus far in the class which fulfilled my requirements for full credit! I love clinic! I was so excited about my accomplishment!
Today was going to be a pretty laid back day. This patient was another of Kelsi's patients who she couldn't see, so I planned to see him. She did everything beside the quad scale which is the best part! It went really smooth and very quickly. The patient was dropped off by his mother, and she left and didn't come back until well after I completed the cleaning. The patient seemed happy with the appointment and his mother was glad it didn't take too much longer. She was happy that her whole family was able to be seen this semester and plans to bring them all back for their next cleanings.
The exciting part about this appointment for me was the once I completed it, I was able to have 62 quads complete thus far in the class which fulfilled my requirements for full credit! I love clinic! I was so excited about my accomplishment!
April 4, 2012 Patient #15
GOAL: Finish 2 quads Class IIACTUAL: Finished 2 quads Class II
I was able to get this patient from Kelsi. She was able to clean half of her mouth but didn't need the other 2 quads to fulfill her experience in clinic and didn't have room to see her. I was garteful for this because I knew this patient wanted to be completed, and I didn't have to work really hard to find her.
Unfortunately, this patient was really jumpy today and sturggled with the slow speed suction. She got water , literally, all over her face, head, hair, chest, neck, etc. I tried to explain how to use it to avoid this, but I don't know if she was just anxious today and couldn't comprehend what I was saying or if she has a hard time controlling her tongue. Either way, this made the appointment very difficult. When I would ask her if she was okay, she would always respond yes but still jump. I am so glad I only had to do this for 2 quads instead of a whole mouth because by the end I was getting very frustrated!
When I got done, I talked to Kelsi about it, and she said her experience with this patient wasn't like mine at all. This didn't amke me feel good about it. I hope the patient knew I was trying to be kind. I did the best I could.
I was able to get this patient from Kelsi. She was able to clean half of her mouth but didn't need the other 2 quads to fulfill her experience in clinic and didn't have room to see her. I was garteful for this because I knew this patient wanted to be completed, and I didn't have to work really hard to find her.
Unfortunately, this patient was really jumpy today and sturggled with the slow speed suction. She got water , literally, all over her face, head, hair, chest, neck, etc. I tried to explain how to use it to avoid this, but I don't know if she was just anxious today and couldn't comprehend what I was saying or if she has a hard time controlling her tongue. Either way, this made the appointment very difficult. When I would ask her if she was okay, she would always respond yes but still jump. I am so glad I only had to do this for 2 quads instead of a whole mouth because by the end I was getting very frustrated!
When I got done, I talked to Kelsi about it, and she said her experience with this patient wasn't like mine at all. This didn't amke me feel good about it. I hope the patient knew I was trying to be kind. I did the best I could.
April 2, 2012 14th patient
GOAL: Complete IB patient in one clinic sessionACTUAL: Completed Class II patient
At this point in my clinic class, I knew I was going to get through the quads I needed to complete with full credit. I wasn't sure what kind of patient this lady would be, but it didn't matter to me. I was hopeful for a Class IB just for selfish reasons. I didn't want to miss on something so dumb to hurt my grade. Although my patient ended up being a Class II, I wasn't upset about it at all. I decided to use this as a learning lesson for me to continue to hone my skills and really understand what calculus is and what it feels like.
This was definitely a confidence boost for me in my clinic experience. I am understanding what it's like to clean a whole mouth and coming up with my own routine to make sure I cover every surface. I can't wait to actually be able to use the exploratory stroke with a scaler and feel for calculus. I'm getting pretty good with the explorer, but it is such a time waster.
At this point in my clinic class, I knew I was going to get through the quads I needed to complete with full credit. I wasn't sure what kind of patient this lady would be, but it didn't matter to me. I was hopeful for a Class IB just for selfish reasons. I didn't want to miss on something so dumb to hurt my grade. Although my patient ended up being a Class II, I wasn't upset about it at all. I decided to use this as a learning lesson for me to continue to hone my skills and really understand what calculus is and what it feels like.
This was definitely a confidence boost for me in my clinic experience. I am understanding what it's like to clean a whole mouth and coming up with my own routine to make sure I cover every surface. I can't wait to actually be able to use the exploratory stroke with a scaler and feel for calculus. I'm getting pretty good with the explorer, but it is such a time waster.
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