Last Fall Clinic Day!

Today is our last fall clinic day and I am do excited. I have all of my clinic requirements complete. I got a class 2 patient today that I hope can transfer over to next semester that way I'll be alittle bit ahead since I had a really hard time finding class 2 patients this last semester. I'm gonna try and get my perio requirements done early if it's at all possible, that way I won't be quite so stressed for the end of next semester. I also think I need to do some screenings to find mockboard patients.

VA CA

Today was kinda a weird CA day because we only had 4 clinicians show up at the VA today and me the CA, so when all five patients showed up in the morning and in the afternoon at the same time it was chaos. One patient in the morning forgot his premed and so he was ok because we had to wait an hour to see him anyways, but the afternoon patient I had to see because the other students all had patients and we didn't think it fair to make him wait til another patient was done, but it worked out, I just had extra work to do, and it was just an interesting and not too boring day.

Makeup

Today has been a good day so far. I have at least got all of my class 3 exams done so I don't have to worry too much about that. All of them were at the VA so I am going to have to talk to professor Alexander about that. I'm just relieved that I'm almost done and I still don't need nine more like I did yesterday. I got four yesterday at the VA that took me about 3 hours to complete. It was a long day but well needed and today I have 2 quads so far so that will be good. It's kinda frustrating that the class 3 quads get to transfer over because I still need class 3 patients and now no one wants to give up their patients.

rescheduled

my patient had to be rescheduled yet again. The thing that made me really sad was that she did have her doctor's consult, it just wasn't clear enough for what the clinic would like. I took her glucose again and it was higher than last time at a whopping 313. I was just hoping for her as a class 3 patient, but we'll see if I can get ahold of her physician and get her scheduled back before the end of the semester so I can finish my 9 class 3 quads that I have left.

bad day

Today I got to watch my patient get a tooth extracted in my chair. It was so infected that I gave him three injections and Dr. Hopkins tried to give him some but he still wasn't too numb. The patient was however very dramatic. He would not let me get him numb but flinched with every tooth I scaled. I have never felt so worthless with my skills as a DH as I did today. I missed stuff on every tooth and it was just terrible I came away feeling that I have failed even though technically since we had to get his tooth extracted, I didn't even finish a quad. I guess I just will definately need instructor assistance when this patient returns since I can't do it myself.

excusing patients

So this afternoon I had my mock board come in to complete her other 2 quads, but she was excused because she had a cold sore on next to her nose. I almost didn't notice it I thought originally it was a sore from rubbing the nose when you get a cold. I called another patient who got here in less than fifteen minutes, she too was excused, not because she had a cold sore but because she had uncontrolled diabetes. I had to test her blood glucose and it was 286, and we can only treat patients who are under 200 so today was an unlucky day.

CA

My CA day was almost more stressful than actually having a patient. I know it shouldn't be that way, but I felt like I was doing everything wrong and it was so stressful. I felt like I couldn't go help out my fellow students because I got in trouble for not being at the front desk to check patients out, but I was trying to help out other student chart and clean up their chairs for another patient. I'm probably the only person who feels that way though.

Mock board exam

Today I completed my first mock board exam. It was a really good experience and was a good practice for me for the real one. I forgot to fill things out and made stupid little mistakes which hopefully with practice I won't make anymore. I am excited to have gotten it done this semester and I even passed with an 80%. I know I'll be much more stressed out for the real board exam, because this exam I was just happy that I found a patient to qualify the week before. I heard one of the instructors saying when she was in school they didn't get practice and I couldn't imagine going into my boards not knowing what to do so it was really great to experience for the first time even with the stress of trying to find a patient.

yay!

I found my mock board today, at the last minute and I am so excited. I hope they work out, they had tons of calculus. My patient was a class III and hadn't had their teeth cleaned in 12 years and her breath wasn't very good. This is a load off of my back if she shows up next week and really does qualify.

VA

I'm kinda frustrated with the VA. I hear other students telling me that they get really great patients there and that they have gotten lots of requirements and have even found mock board patients there. Other than the first day, I haven't seen perio really and most of us these last couple of weeks haven't gotten any perio from there at all. I think it's great that we don't have to find our own patients, but I just don't think it's worth driving or riding the frontrunner to salt lake if I'm just going to get class V and Class IB patients. We have also had someone everyday we've gone have one of their patients cancel and so that's obviously not worth our drive when that happens either.

cancellations

My patient called me an hour before her appointment. This is the third time just this semester that this has happened. Luckily Tori had someone just barely call in to see if we had any cancellations. This is getting pretty ridiculous, i don't understand how people can be such slackers. Anyways, enough with my venting, I got a FM set of x-rays this morning so that made me feel alittle bit better about my day. I just really hope I can find a mock board patient today or else I only have one more day and I'm probably gonna lose those points :( That is my only requirement that I'm worried about, all of the other ones should slip into place at least I'm hoping so because once other people start finishing their requirements, they can just give them away to people who really need them.

Late

My patient is late yet again. I swear none of them can show up on time. It's so frustrating waiting to see if they are going to show up at all. I called my patient and he said he was on his way. I'm hoping that since he's a new patient who hasn't been in in awhile that he is at least a class 2, but we'll see how lucky I get. I hate hoping that my patients have bone loss, but what else are we supposed to do to get all of our requirements. The VA so far has only been my success in the perio department. It would make me feel better if I saw some here. All my new patients have been class 5's or 1B's.

1A

This morning I saw both of my 1A patients and they were so cute. One was 2 and the other was 4 and they were better behaved than some of the adults I see, except that the 2 year old had to hold her mama's hand. They didn't really have any calculus so I basically just scaled some plaque off and then used my prophy angle to polished the rest of the plaque off. It worked out well. I got them both out of there in a total of 1 hr 45 min including x-rays so I'm so excited that I'm getting faster. I would definately recommend getting both your 1A requirements done in one setting. That way you only need one appointment for 8 quads. :)

Mock Board

I am scared for the mock board exam. All I've really done is class V patients so I'm nervous I won't find a patient for that day. I gave away some more class V patients so that I'll have a change to see some possible mock board patients. I know I shouldn't be stress out already but I am because it's only a month away. My class V patients have all been really easy and it's good to get them out of the way.

Class V

Today I did my class V exam. I am done with them already in the semester and I only have 3 quads of a perio patient. I would recommend trying to get perio patients as early in the semester as possible because we have to start looking for mock board and board patients. It's just frustrating that I can't fing any yet even at the VA. It will all work out I hope. :D

First patient clinic day at WSU

Today the morning went well, I saw a recall patient who was a class five and I did well on, she got out of here early and I didn't miss any spots. My biggest advice would be to figure out the explorer and check before the instructor comes to make sure you're not missing any spots. My afternoon didn't go so well, my patient showed up early to tell me that she wasn't going to be able to be my patient today, it was depressing because earlier I could've found another patient. I walked around campus and everyone either had class to go to or didn't want ot pay for an appointment. I would be willing to pay for a perio patient that i need but not someone that I could do like my sister.

First WSU clinic day as a senior!!!

Today was our first clinic day as a senior. We basically just reviewed everything that we may have forgotten over the summer. We got a cool new diagnodent gadget that's cordless and it's like a pen. It seems scary breakable since I am such a clutch I'm kind of worried, but I like it because we can use it on primary teeth which the other diagnodent's aren't meant for. We did OD checks on each other today just so we know how to hold an instrument again, but I was already at the VA on Tuesday and I already have 7 quads done. 3 of which were class 3's. I think this year is going to go good as long as I don't get too stressed out.

Last Clinic Session

Today was my last day of clinic for the first year and I'm so excited to be done and get a break for the summer and hopefully not come back worse than I left for next year. Today went well I got a surprise quad of a class 2 which was good, he was just a perio maintenance patient but since he had some deep pockets with calculus in them the instructors decided to give me one more quad of a class 2 which I didn't need but it doesn't matter because I think everyone else had their's done. Hope next year I do better.

Last requirement

Today is such a relief to me. My last requirement I got done today so no matter what happens wednesday, I won't fail clinic! :) Today was my last 1A patient and they were so good. They had very litttle calculus except on the mand lingual anterios where they had an adequate amount. I felt like today went very well. I got her out of here early and I just really needed a day to go really good for once.

No show

Today my patient cancelled yet again. There were three of us from the family so it was way frustrating. I'm staying for the afternoon clinic session I suppose, and hopefully the afternoon goes much more smoothly then the morning did. I just have to keep telling myself that I'll get done. So we'll see.

two patients

Today was the first day I have seen two patients in one day and I was super stressed about it. I found that for my second patient I was way unorganized and it was just stressful. I got my second patient out late more because I was waiting for a scale check then anything, but I missed some calculus that I could plainly see on my xrays. And it wasn't just alittle bit of calculus, but alot and I spent tons of time on it and still couldn't get it completely off. My instructor really needed to help me. But look at your x-rays because as those of you in my clinic know, she pointed out my dumb mistake at pod wrap and I feel really really stupid.

running late

Today was the first day I was so late getting my patient out of here and i feel horrible about it. Everyone asked for a scale check at the same time so this was part of the problem, but i still feel like I was a huge problem for the professors and everyone. I don't know if anyone else feels the same way but it just stresses me out worse than it would normally, so I guess I should look at my time more carefully next time.

Class 3

My patient today was an hour late yet again for his appointment so I was barely able to finish my 2 quads of the class 3 which is all i wanted to do in the first place. I am finally done with my perio and am so excited. I almost wish I would have more towards the end of the semester because I'm actually able to feel the calculus and do a better job with them. On the other hand it is SUCH a relief to be done so I'm not complaining, no I'm basically needing 1A patients.

exam patient

Today was an easier patient day. I used this patient as a class 1B exam because she really didn't have alot of calculus to start with which made it lots easier. My patient was so funny, she laughed about everything. I had fun today. I wish she needed sealants is the only thing I wish I wouldn't done differently because I'm still in need of all three of those sealant requirements, but other than that it was just a funner day.

Sealants

I'm in need of sealants and I had a patient that got a hold of me last night and wanted to come in and get their last sealant taken care of but then he didn't show up this morning. My patient that was normally scheduled was an hour late which would have been okay if I would've been able to do the sealants. I'm okay he was a class 3 and so I probably would've needed two appointments anyways. I think it's getting towards the end of the semester and we are all super stressed out, but we'll make it through this last month.

PA's

Today I finally got a FMX and I'm so excited. I still need more, but this will make it so much easier to meet the x-ray requirements. My xrays took so long but it turned out good because I might have someone come in for the next appointment with the patient before she comes in to get some xrays so I might finally get those requirements done. There' still so much to do before the end of the semester, but hopefully I';ll be able to get it done.

CA

On Monday St PAtrick's Day I was a CA. It was alot easier this time because my last clinic day I was a CA as well. I restocked everything and helped out up front. The money was sorta confusing because though because they had to do something special for the morning clinic to keep $50 in the drawer. It was a good experience and I got to help alot of girls chart and keep them caught up.

1A

Today was the first time in a few weeks I have had a patient in the chair because the few times before that I have been a CA and then we had spring break in between so I was sort of bobble headed and unorganized. I think that I did okay but I chose this patient as my 1A exam and I missed four spots on the buccal side of the mandibular anterior teeth because they weren't really by the gum line and I scaled those teeth but I didn't really check them with the explorer so make sure your guys always check the ENTIRE tooth so you don't make my mistake. The other thing is the x-rays were harder for me because I hadn't had a lot of practice taking them on kids and I had a hard time getting the first primary molars in the picture.

Class 3

My class 3 patient was so much harder than I thought it would be. I spent so much time on her and still missed so many deposits. Then after the scale check it took me forever to get the deposits off and I was almost discouraged until my instructor explained that class 3 patients usually have very tenacious calculus and especially where it was my first class 3 patient I really didn't do that bad. I still need 2 more quads of a class 3 so we'll see if it's any different the next time.

2 Patients

Today was a hectic day. I got my patient done within 45 minutes of being in clinic and then someone came in and just wanted to get their pano taken. I'm so excited I got one, but I was running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out how to do it since I've never done it on a real patient before. The patient I traded because I thought it was a class II ended up being a class III so now I'm kicking myself in the butt because I could've been done with class 3's, but hey at least I got an extra pano done and a girl who wants to be my patient next month. YAY

Today I saw my exam patient to clean the other half of her mouth. The other side was already built up so I really tried to stress her homecare so that her mouth wouldn't end up just as bad as it was before. I spent way too much time on her but I didn't miss any spots. I'm really nervous about the time issue for my patients because I don't wanna miss spots but I wanna do good on my exams. I think I'll just need more time to get faster. I learned how hard it is to give instructions to patients who don't speak english. She had her sister here to help her understand, but even she didn't speak the best english. My patient was pregnant and I tried make her more comfy by giving her a pillow and having her lay on her side, but she wanted to lay on her back and didn't know what to do with the pillow I gave her so, it was just a learning experience as to what specific patients like and understand.

exam

Today was my first 1B exam pt which I am excited to say I think I did pretty good on. Before I started they made the time requirements and stuff clearer to me so that I wouldn't lose lots of points for going over 25 minutes because I was almost sure to miss some spots. So I was better prepared for this exma that for my class II patient exam. It went well, but I still haven't passed off very many PE's so i hope I can do that later.

LAB

I thought today's lab was a really good experience. How to use the ultrasonic made more sense to me because I thought I could only apply the lateral surfaces to the tooth, when I can apply the front and back too they just aren't as comfortable for the patient I guess.
The diagnodent lab helped tons because I really had no idea how that little machine worked. It made more sense for me to use it on someone with them actually coaching me. The insurance was really boring and I think it will be helpful once we get into a real office, but I think I might forget it all by that time. I think labs are way helpful now that we are seeing real patients so we have someone to apply these sessions to.

class 3

My patient today was kinda frustrating. They showed up late and left early so I tried to do their UR and LR but I missed like eight spots because I only had 45 min to do her and so all of a sudden I look up at the clock and it's time for her to leave. The calculus was harder to feel on their teeth. Sometimes I don't really know how to feel the difference between a rough tooth and if their is really calculus there. I even tried to scale it off for awhile and the rough spot I missed wasn't a rough spot it was calculus. I think next time it will be easier because I explained to her that I won't be able to get done next time if she can't come on time and stay the entire appointment block, but we'll see.

Calculus

Today I am actually starting to be able to feel calculus. I didn't miss any spots on my class II patient because I was able to explore and go back and find those spots I missed again. I;m really excited because for the first month I would just guess if I got it all or not, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I think that it will make my next few patients easier to where I won't miss anything.

class II

Today I had another spanish speaking patient who turned out to be a class II so girls, they are great resources as scary as it seems at first to work on them there's people in clinic to help and alittle bit of slack if the patient doesn't understand what you are trying to tell them.

No show

Today was another day one of my patients did not show up, so I set out on campus trying to recruit someone to come in but everyone I talked to either didn't want to pay because they had insurance, was studying for an exam, or had a class during the time i was supposed to treat them. I would suggest in the morning going off campus to look for a patient. It's stressful because now I'm worried about not getting my requirements i need for class. :(

I got my new pt done!

I got my new patient done in a single day which was pretty exciting for me. I scaled all four quadrants in 30 minutes and everything which made me so happy. I think doing that is going to be the only way we get done with enough quadrants.

pt no show

Today my patient called in and cancelled right before her appointment which sucked. Nicole called one of her friends who came in for me but she got here at 9:15 so I didn't have enough time to do anything besides the OD and so I didn't get any credit for her since she's probably going to be Nicole's patient. I'm just really stressed out in clinic this semester I'm sure just like everyone else, and I don't think I'm going to get all my PE's done because I've only done one so far and it's our fourth clinic session. I hope everything calms down some.

safety glasses

Today was another class two patient that I didn't quite get to a scale check yet. She was a super nice lady. I need to remember to bring my safety glasses with me wherever I go because today I got into the radiology lab to take x-rays on my patient and I had to walk all the way back to my pod to get them. I think things are running smoother but I still get flustered when i have so many things to remember.

Class 3

Today was exciting. My patient turned out to have two quads of moderate perio and two quads of mild perio which helps me out alot. I got really stressed out at first because my patient had to leave ten minutes early and I was supposed to just use my ultrasonic scaler to let her get the feeling of what her next appointment is going to be like. You can really find patients anywhere, and they may be just the patient you need.

First scale check

My first patient was my mother. I actually got all four quads complete during her appointment. The thing I need help with is figuring out how to tell the difference between sheet calculus and just a rough tooth surface. I missed a few spots because of that. I'm happy today went as well as it did because it sort of relaxes me for my other patients.

First day back

Today was the first day back in clinic for our second semester and I think it helped me relax more for our first patient on wednesday. We actually practiced ultrasonic scaling on each other so i think i'll be comfortable using it on one of my patients in clinic.