LAST DAY IN CLINIC!!!!

HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!!!!
I REALLY DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS DAY WOULD COME!!!!!
I have a husband and wife coming in today. I already saw the husband and he was an easy class V. It was a good morning. I was finished by 9:30 and cleaned up by 10:00 so a couple of us went down and picked up our caps and gowns for graduation.
OH HAPPY DAY!!!

Changes that you don't expect

Today was another day of changes. I had planned on seeing both of my sister's children and a class II this afternoon. I only saw Caleb, however, because Hailey needed another child so Tayah was willing to let Hailey clean her teeth. It was nice to have a morning that was laid back. I was then able to get a screening patient in to help Brandy, but the patient ended up being a light Class IV--- Did not work for boards :( And then I treated a walk-in patient. He was a very nice man and everything went well.
All in all.... a good day!!!!!!

Another busy day!!!

I sure love my hubby!!!! He was my first patient this morning and is always so willing to help. I really lucked out when I found him. He was even willing to spit into a cup for me. My last PE was the caries risk analysis PE and I finished that this morning. I am 100% completely done with my qualifications now. What an amazing feeling. I am not sure if I really thought that this day was ever going to come. Though I completely am not... I do feel about 10 pounds lighter because a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.
My second morning patient was Cyrus. He came to have the last quad cleaned. He was in much brighter spirits today then I have ever seen him. He said that he can really tell a difference in the areas of his mouth that have already been cleaned. That made me feel good about what Julie and I have done for him.
I saw two patients in the afternoon as well. I saw Reita's grandson and a class V recall from last semester. Both of the patients went well and I was happy to get to meet Milton. He is a cute kid.
All and all... a busy but good day!!!!

Easy day!!!!

I really could not have had a better day after board exams. I saw a 1A this morning and a 1B this afternoon. I was grateful for both of them as well because they finished off my qualifications for those two classifications. It was a great day!!!! I felt super great and relaxed.
It was a great day!!!!

BOARDS!!!!!

Well, boards have come and gone. I do have all of my results now and I can't express how wonderful it is to be done. I have been a nervous wreck for a couple of months now, and I am not sure if my stomach will ever be the same. The day of the clinical board was such a blur. I look back and it almost seems like an out of body experience. I am not sure what I did, what instruments I used, or even how I was able to get through it. But.... I DID and it is OVER!!!!!!
I am thrilled and now just have to go through some motions before graduation. I am grateful for this time, however, because I really can use all of the practice that I can get before I start into the real world.

What A Day

Screening after screening after screening... I must have the worst luck in the world. It is a good thing that other people are much luckier than I am.
My afternoon was a nightmare. Oh, I feel horrible. I know that I have never missed as many spots as I did today. A million and one things went into that, but there is still no excuse for how I preformed. I know that I am a better clinician then I demonstrated this afternoon. I do hope that I can pull myself out of whatever slump that I am in before the board exams come. I need to just pull it together.... How do I do that???!!!!!
Oh, what a day!!!!

Anesthesia Mock Board

Well, this is the one that I really thought that I was going to fail. I have tried everything that I know how to do to stop myself from shaking. I was so nervous before the exam but I will say that there is someone... some higher power... that truly does love me. As soon as the exam started my nerves were calmed and I wasn't really shaking. My hand steadied but that was jsut the beginning. I contaminated my needle right off the bat... I had to switch set-ups. I then went in the first time... positive aspiration.... another new set-up. Second try... positive aspiration... another new set-up. Third try... positive aspiration... yet another new set-up. I had to borrow one from my neighbor because I didn't have enough out on my tray. I was finally told not to try again due to the aspirations and I had to move on to the next injection. That one went well, but I guess that I touched the front of the card and I failed. Everything was perfect with the injection itself but I did touch the card.
I don't think that anything else could have gone wrong this morning, but now I know for the board, right?!!!!

This afternoon was also an answer to prayer... I FOUND A BOARD PATIENT!!!!!! I really was beginning to think that I wasn't going to be able to find one.

Oh what a day!!!

Mock Board Number 2

Today was the hardest cleaning I have ever done in my life!!!!!!! I have never had the ultrasonic not even touch the calculus. I had the orange tip on high with the tip completely against the calculus and it didn't budge. Oh My!!!! I thought that I was a gonner. I didn't really know what to do. I stopped using the ultrasonic because it was doing nothing and I took out my files. I had to file every surface before I then hand scaled and followed that up with the ultrasonic again. I really have never felt like I failed something in my life until I sent my patient over to have the scale check done. I really wanted to cry and I couldn't stop thinking it.
Well, the result....
I ended up missing 3 spots but one of them ended up being a CEJ, so I was only marked down for 2 spots, but that was only the beginning. I forgot to fill out some of my paperwork, and I missed a probe depth. I couldn't believe it. Oh heavens!!!!!
I did end up passing and did okay, but I really don't feel great about using that patient for my board exam.
What am I going to do?!!!!

Simulation Day

Well, today was supose to be a crazy day and it was this morning, but things really slowed down this afternoon. Both of my afternoon patients cancelled, so I called Kevin. I was grateful that he was able to come in today.
This morning went well even though it was a little crazy. My Class II I thought was going to take two appointments and would be harder then she was. Once I got into the mouth and started cleaning everything went so well that I ended up cleaning the whole mouth in the one appointment. Though that worked out well, I did start a little late with my second morning patient. I then tried to use my ultrasonic and for whatever reason it kept popping out of the unit. Needless to say, I had to hand scale the whole mouth. Good news for me, though, she was wonderfully clean. Very much a true Class V, and the nicest lady. It went well. I did walk her out just a tad bit later then I had hoped but I was able to get her done.
My afternoon really could not have been easier. My first 1B of the semester. I forgot how easy those can be.
All in all, a good day!!!!

Things don't always end the way that they start!!!

My morning today was wonderful!!!! I finished my Class IV and didn't miss a single spot. I was so grateful for the patient and his willingness to come in. I really feel like I am developing great skills. Everything felt and went well.
This afternoon was a completely different story... my patient that I thought was going to be my mock board as well as my board no showed on me. I struggled to find people to come in to screen. I was able to find a couple of people. One ended up being a Class 1B and the other one was a V. I don't know what I am going to do. No patient and only 1 week to find one.

MOCK BOARD

Today was the day!!!! I was so nervous when I started that I was shaking a little with my scalers. I can't remember the last time that I did that. I was so happy that Eda was such a great patient. After a few minutes I was able to calm down, and things were going well. The nerves did come back, however, when I sent her over for the scale check. I worried the whole time. When Prof Hanson came over to talk to me after she was done I thought for sure that I had failed. She looked at me, though, smiled, and told me that I only missed one spot. She said that she thought she knew that I was going to miss some areas and was very surprised and impressed when I didn't. I ended up getting a 94%. I really couldn't have asked for a better morning. What a day!!!

Good Day

This morning turned out to be another Class IV. Trust me, I am not complaining. I am so grateful for the experiences before Mock Board. I really feel like I am getting some good practice. I am also very grateful for Prof Hanson. She has really been helping me with changing angles and instrument choice in order to get into some deeper pockets. I do feel like I am much more prepared for my Class IV Mock Board after today.
Hailey was a gem this afternoon. She switched patients with me so that I could do my N2O PE. Her patient was a Class II and I need those exam quads, she wanted N2O, and also wanted anesthesia. She was a hard Class II and her mouth was tiny, but it went okay. I just missed a couple of spots and again I was grateful for the feedback from Prof Hanson. My injections went well, but I really do need to work on the shaking. It was better today but not perfect. What am I going to do?!!

WHAT A CLASS IV

My first patient today was my class IV. I was feeling okay about it and would have felt much better about things but she was one hour late due to the weather. If I had that extra hour it would have been great. I am not sure if my Prof felt the same way. I missed a few spots and she was concerned about my using this patient as my mock board becuase of how difficult she is. Like I said, however, I don't have a lot of options right now. I just hope that my patient shows up on time so that I have the whole time to scale. I have faith in her though.
My afternoon patient cancelled so I tried to find another patient. I had Mr Soloman call and I thought that maybe she would be great. She came in, however, and she really wanted me to see her 7 year old daughter. I guess it was good though because I do need 1A's, and she was a cute little girl.
I just feel like things are not going quite the way that I expected this semester.
Also still on the hunt for a wonderful Board Pt!!!!!

Second week

Things were a little more that I was prepared for today. I knew that my first patient would be a class V which she was. It went well considering that she was 1 hour late. She called and said that she woke up late. I told her that I would just see her when she got here.
My afternoon patient was a little different. I was totally expecting a class IV. She was used meth for 16 years--- what would you think? She ended up being two quads of a class III. I tried anesthesia again today, and another disaster. I was shaking sooooooooooooo bad. I also had to switch carps and bent the needle. I then couldn't get it out and had to start all over again. The cleaning went okay but I can't believe how horrible my anesthesia went. I REALLY NEED PRACTICE.
What a day!!!

Christmas is definitely over!

My first patient today was nothing that I thought she was going to be, but that it okay because it ended up being better. She ended up being 3 quads of a IV and one quad of III. Yeah for hard quads. I was able to clean 1 quad and it went okay. I missed a couple of spots but nothing that I thought.
My second patient, I was expecting to be a class III and she was only 2 quads of a III and 2 quads of a II. I also tried anesthesia, and it was a mess. I hit bone 4 times on my IA. It was awful. I don't know how I am going to be ready for the board at this rate.
Very much a day full of ups and downs!!!