WSU clinic day 1

The first day at the Weber clinic was a relaxing day. I'm sure this will be the only one we have! We went over how to use the intra oral camera, diagnodent, and emergency protocol. I realized how important it is to know about the patient's medical history and current health concerns that they have. It is my job to respond to an emergency if one should happen in my chair and I need to know what to do in certain situations. This is kind of a big responsibility and it made me think that I really need to know how to treat every kind of patient. I am glad that I know how to handle these different situations but I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to follow through with any of them.

Back to school!

Well school is back in full swing! I am excited for this year and also really excited for it to be over. :) I was able to go to the VA last Wednesday and can I just say I was a little nervous!! Everything turned out to be great though. My patient ended up being a 1B so that's good. We don't have to get our own patients at the VA so that took a lot of stress off. I think because I wasn't worried about getting my patient I was more concerned about their health and focusing on that rather than if they would meet one of my classifications. I came to realize that I really do care about their oral health and I do want to help them.

Goodbye!

Nah nah nah nah....nah nah nah nah....hey hey hey....GOODBYE!!! I am officially finished with clinic (for my first year)! Woohoo!!!! It was a relaxing day for me. My sister came in and I was able to finish her in just over an hour and a half. Scaling...done. PE's...done. X-rays...done. All classifications....done. Can you tell I'm very happy?? I even cleaned out my drawer and got everything ready to take home. The only thing I need to try to improve on over the summer is my posture. I am a hunch back. Hopefully I can work on that. I am going to miss the TA's that helped us. They were so nice and helpful. I will miss them! Well....til next semester! Buh-bye!! :)

Schick....ugh!!!

Today I had my sister come in so I could finish up my x ray requirements. I did a FMX on her with the schick. I hate it!! I felt so bad because the sensor is huge and it does not feel good. She was a good sport though. I wish we had one that wasn't so bulky. I ended up using the size one for the anteriors. I just took my time and got through the OD and let her go. She is coming back on Wednesday to finish up. I feel like I have improved so much from the beginning of the semester. I am glad I am finished with my requirements and now I can just take my time. Oh..and pass off 2 PE's.

Almost finished!

Wednesday I finished up my class 3 patient. The right side was more difficult than the left and this might be because she's right handed and most people don't brush as well on their dominant hand side. I didn't realize this until after she left so for next time I will remember that. I am finished with all my qualifications and it feels so good. My sister is coming in Monday so I can do a FMX and cleaning. Summer will be fantastic!!

Class 3

Today I had my class 3 patient come in. I was planning on just taking my time since I have 4 appointments available for her if I need to use them. I had Instructor Caldwell get her numb and it made me more comfortable while scaling and I 'm sure it was more comfortable for my patient. I finished one quad and had a scale check. Surprisingly enough I only missed 3 spots! I was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome to see the calculus break off while I used the ultra sonic. I have learned to really like the ultra sonic. Hopefully that won't hurt me in the long run. I was able to finish 2 quads but the second one I missed a couple more spots. I loved cleaning my class 3 patient. It means a lot more when you can actually see the calculus coming off. The only bad thing that happened today was that my patient didn't bring any money to pay. So I had to pay for her. She is planning on coming back Wednesday so hopefully she will remember her money!

Home stretch

Yippee!!! Only 4 more clinic days!!! I'm so happy I could cry!! Today I had a class 5 and it was the last one I needed to fulfill my requirements. I have 4 appointments open for my class 3 and then I'm finished! This semester has flown by and I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing. My patient was super nice today which made it a lot easier. I was able to pass off 2 PE's also. I feel like I'm getting faster with probing and scaling and it feels great. When I'm scaling I feel like I go through the motions but I don't really know what I'm doing but then I have my scale checks and I only miss a couple spots. So...I guess I must be doing something right! I just need to be more confident.