Patient Managment

Today I had a really hard patient and boy or oh did it test my patience. My patient had a very low pain tolerance and was really anxious just making the whole appointment nerve racking for me.  It was a very patience testing experience.  I ended up finishing her though because I did not want to have to bring her back for her sake and mine.  I know that I missed lots of spots on her anteriors but there was only so much I could do to make her comfortable and get my job done. Then in the afternoon I saw a deaf patient and that was really hard as well because she was really hard to communicate with.  I felt bad that she did not understand me but again there was only so much I could do. I felt like today was a good learning experience throughout the whole day.  I have come to realize that dental hygiene is not only about cleaning teeth but it is also about people skills, patient management, teaching, sometimes counseling and so many more things.  I didnt know that my career path would have so many traits associated with it but I like it! It gives me a variety of things to do throughout the day and not just cleaning teeth!

Mockboards

Well mockboards were a great learning experience for me.  I really learned what kind of patient I would want to take into the test with me.  My patient was really nice and tolerant to everything I had to do to her so that was a great thing but as for her calculus levels and tenacity it was really hard.  She had lots of calculus and so I felt like I had to so much more to take off than I had time for!  That hour and a half goes really fast. i am so glad that we do so many mockboards to really get me prepared and ready for the real thing, I cant imagine going into the test and not knowing what to expect.  I really appreciate how prepared Weber State gets us for boards.  When I see that it makes me think they really do care about our success.  I ended up not passing my first mockboard because I missed 5 spots but like I said I felt fine about that because I had so much to get off in the first place. Also the highlighter really killed me because every spot I missed just so happened to be a highlighted area.  Darn it. But better luck for me next time. I just have to remember it is a journey and I have to enjoy it while it lasts.

class 2

today i finally found a class 2!  hooray!  now i only have to finish 8 more quads!  I missed some areas though because she was a really hard patient. she hadnt had her teeth cleaned in 10 years and so her calculus was tenacious.  At least i finished her though!  I really hope that I find more class 2 patients!

Seeing three patients in a day!

Today I saw more patients than i ever thought i would.  I saw three patients. I saw a class 5 in the morning and she was the nicest lady i have ever met! Then in the afternoon I saw a 1B and a 1A.  It was a really busy day but i felt really accomplished because by the time i finished clinic i had completed 12 quads.  This is a good way to get requirements but i felt that i didnt have the time to do PEs.  Which is also a stress that I have to worry about for requirements. I am sure that I will be able to get them all done but still it makes me wonder how i will ever finish.  my goal is completing PEs next week and to still be very productive.  I am seeing lots of patients next week too so it will be a good way to test my skills.

screening and class 5

So today I pushed myself with time.  I saw a screening and a class 5. It was good for my time management.  I found a class 3 during my screening! I am happy about that!  I also finished a class 5 during the rest of clinic which was really hard because I only had like 45 minutes left to scale him.  It was a good experience though.  I really felt like today was a good day even though i missed a lot of spots on my class 5. But I saw a patient from last semester and he looked so much better, so that is always fun to see improvement!

class 4 patient

Today was a very educational day.  I was able to see a class 4 patient.  It was a great experience for me to get tough calculus off. I also did really well because I only missed 2 spots which for me is a huge step up from last year. I can feel myself getting better and better each clinic session. I was able to finish 1 quad today and I rescheduled him to come back.  It was a challenge because he couldnt lay flat so i basically had to clean his teeth sitting up.  It was quite the experience.  I am excited for next week because i am CA which will give me break from seeing patients.  NOw my goal is to find a mock board patient

Patient no show

So today was a fun day....NOT.  My patient did not show up this morning and I had just talked to them last night.  I was so frustrated because it is a wasted clinic session and I need all I can get in order to get all my requirements.  Luckily my mom was nice enough to come in and be my back up patient.  I started crying and had a back down.  I told myself I would not cry this year but sometimes you just need it. This afternoon I have a class 4 patient and so i hope i have a better afternoon.  We shall see though.... At least I am doing well with time management though because my mom got here around 8:45 and i was still able to finish her which is an improvement from last year. I know that everything will work out but it is hard to constantly feel that when you have days like today. I am just hoping that I am getting all of the crazy stuff out of the way early...