Real Pt. Day! :)

Yesterday in clinic we saw our first REAL patient. As I woke up yesterday morning I had SO many mixed emotions...excitement, nervousness, doubtfulness, fear - you name it, I was feeling it! ;) I made sure to get to clinic extra early to give myself PLENTY of time to get set-up and collect myself before I seated my patient.

I asked my Mom to be my first patient. I wanted to have someone come in that I felt comfortable with so that I did not create any more stress for myself and my Mom definitely fit that description!

All in all, things went very smoothly. Our requirements for this semester were to get through HHx and OD. But I was able to get through OHI as well. I was proud of myself as I got my OD check to find that I had probed and filled out my charts correctly. It was very reassuring for me to know that I was actually developing correct skills! I was able to re-schedule my Mom as my first patient for next semester. Hopefully, since I can go right into scaling, I can get 4 quads done in an appointment - that would be a GREAT way to start off spring semester!

It was SO MUCH fun treating a real patient! I am so grateful that I am able to be in a program that I LOVE. It's official... I LOVE CLEANING TEETH! HOORAY!! :)

Hooray for today....real patient's on Monday! :/

It is Friday night and I am blogging about Monday morning already...I know, pure madness right? I should be enjoying my weekend - it JUST started! BUT, Austin is out of town and I am home alone and the house is quiet which gives me PLENTY of time to sit and THINK. Great, just what I need! ;) And all I can think about is REAL PATIENT MONDAY - Yikes! Last week after mach patient day I was feeling really confident and excited for real patient day. But now that it is almost here I am starting to feel the butterflies.

As the semester is almost over, I have been reflecting back on my experiences within the program so far. It is somewhat strange - for so long, being in the dental hygiene program and ultimately becoming a dental hygienist was always just a distance dream. But now it is REAL... I am actually doing this! In a year and a half I will be taking my board exams and be a RDH. It has been a long process, but it has definitely been worth it.

I know that I am nervous now and at times feel doubtful. But I know that as the year goes on and I get more experience in the clinical setting that I will continue to become more and more confident. I just have to remember that I was hand-picked to be in this program. My instructors saw something in me and were confident I could be successful. Now I just have to believe in myself and the abilities I have!

"Today...you are the patient!"

Today in clinic, it was my turn to be the patient. My appointment was with McKinlei and she did a great job! It was a great learning experience to be on the other side of the spectrum. It was very beneficial to be able to experience what the patient will actually be feeling when I am providing patient treatment.

Last week, being the hygienist, I was able to go through the complete process of an appointment. Going through this process helped me to understand the correct orders of the steps taken within each appointment. Today, being the patient, I was able to go through the same process from a completely different perspective. Consequently, these keys steps and concepts were further solidified - which will only further help me to provide more efficient patient treatment.

Although this might be a "no brainer"... I also learned the significance of adaptation. Being the patient, I experienced the ramifications of insufficient adaptation - pain! ;) I quickly learned how Important it is that I am not only consistent in my instrumentation but proficient! All in all, today was a great day and a lot was learned!

Scale 3 Quads, Selective Polish, Floss, and Fluoride... DONE! :)

How time flies when you are having fun! :) Clinic was great today. It is so rewarding being able to go to school and be completely satisfied with what you are doing.

As clinic started today, I was a little bit nervous about being able to complete my pt. treatment on time. I separated my left shoulder during my last soccer game so my left hand movement has been pretty limited. Monday it felt OK during clinic, but I sure felt the effects later that night. So, it has been sore. But, I knew that I just needed to push through today and then I could rest all weekend. :) On Monday I did HHx, HHx/Rx, OD, OHI, and scaled the LR quad. Today, in order to complete my pt. treatment, I needed to scale the UR, UL, and LL quads, sel pol, df, and apply fluoride. I was proud of myself because I was able to finish pt. treatment and still had time to pass of my sealant PE.

I was surprised with how much more comfortable I felt with instrumentation (especially scaling) after Monday clinic. I felt confident in the treatment I was providing and felt like I was able to get into a great rhythm... how relieving! :) I had Prof. Hafen do my final scale check. It was kind of nerve racking watching her check all 3 quads for areas I had missed. But it was well worth the wait - she assured me I had done a great job and that I had no missed areas. YAY! I know that I am going to appointments where I do miss areas of calculus. But it was very reassuring knowing that I was off to a good start, performing efficient treatment, and understanding the concepts for correct instrumentation.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be in this program. It has truly been a blessing - what a great start to an even greater future! :)

11/07 - Monday Clinic... LOVE being a hygienist! :)

Monday clinic ran a little long for me because I had to catch up on a couple PEs that I missed from being out of town for soccer. So, as I was working on my post for today's clinic (Wed. 11/09), I conveniently remembered I still hadn't published my post from Monday. Long story short... they will be 2 posts published today BUT one is from Monday clinic - comprende? ;)

Here it is:

Clinic today was... well, I don't know quite how to 'label' it because I had so many emotions overcome me throughout the 3 hours I was there! :/ Today was the first day of "Mach Patient Day" and, at first, I was terrified. We had spent the whole semester up until this point learning different skills that make up an appointment. But, we had never actually put ALL of them together from start to finish - hence the need for "Mach Patient Day". I was very excited for the experience because I knew that it would help solidify the process and help me to be more successful for real pt. treatment - but it didn't make it any less stressful, scary, nerve racking, etc.

All in all, it ended up being a great day. McKinlei was my patient and she was very helpful. She gave me lots of great feedback - which I was very appreciative of. I thought it was great that she could be so open and honest with me so that I could further my skills and knowledge base, helping me become a better hygienist.

Today gave me a much needed confidence boost! :) I was apprehensive going in to today, worried about how much I had forgotten or how rusty my skills had become. But, to my surprise, things ran rather smoothly. My skills were "up-to-date" and I passed both my OD and scale check. Things are on the "up and up"... can't wait for Wednesday!