4/16/09

Today we had LA mockboards and I used my peerpals mouth, yay peerpals! I passed the IA but failed the PSA due to 2 things: being too superior (ie not behind/at the 2nd molar) and not having close enough to a 45 degree angle from the midline. I really gotta remember to pull her cheek back and put the needle WAY back there! Lesson learned...

4/2/09

Today was our 3rd and final clinical mockboard, and I passed!!!! Freakin' finally! I didn't miss any spots but I was off by 2mm on a probe depth and I wrote down a H&N statement that was not 'Professor Perry' quality. Should have paid better attention in patho! Oh well, I will take the 93% and be happy!

4/1/09

Today was not a clinic day, but I went and shadowed Jen Wold at Dr. Iverson's office. Apart from the drive, the experience was awesome! The whole office seemed to be friendly and efficient. Jen and I had a good talk about salary and commision etc. I liked how much 'grace' Jen had when she scaled; NO tissue trauma!

3/26/09

Today I saw a class IV in the morning (which Amanda so kindly gave me) and then a 1b in the afternoon. I gave LA and I swear one more thing could NOT have gone wrong: positive aspiration, bent needle, patient swatting my hand etc. I guess it's good to have bad experiences with the good when learning to do something. Just when I start feeling a little confidence about something, I usually have a little jolt back to reality, haha.

2/19/09

I wanted to talk about UDA. We decided to go to the LA class and I was glad we did. We only stayed for the morning where he mostly talked about the IA. Some of the techniques were a little different than what we learned, but it was good to know after you pass boards you can do whatever works for you. It was fun to see the seniors from last year and hear that all or most of them have jobs. Hopefully that will be our class next year!

2/14/09

Today is not a clinic day but I wanted to blog about Give Kids a Smile. I had so much fun and found all of the volunteers, dentists etc to be so helpful and productive. I know the kids got some really good treatment. I was glad to work on my 1a speed and also become more proficient at sealants. I would do this every year if I could!

2/12/09

No-shows are starting not to bother me as much as they used to. It is nice to always have someone in your chair, but I finished some projects this morning and it felt good. In the afternoon I saw a class 3/5 and she was so cute. She had been to WSU clinic since like 1990, crazy huh? Today was laid-back but productive.

2/5/09 MOCKBOARDS II

Today was a learning/growing/humbling experience. I also learned I hate the tongue, especially when it is numb. Needless to say, I didn't pass. First of all, I need to use the right end of the damn explorer and secondly I need to go more subgingival. He had the toughest calculus I have seen yet. It was good to do some LA injections since it's been almost 2 or 3 months.

2/3/09

For once, I was NOT tired at the VA today. Maybe I'm just getting less stressed out the night before? I saw 2 class V exams and 2 quads of a II exam. I think I'm done with exams now, HALLELUJAH! Arestin is really cool and I hope I get to use it in private practice sometimes. I think it is really effective too.

1/29/09

Production day! Yay! 2 1as, sealants, 2 1bs and a screening! I also found my mockboard AND BOARD PATIENT!!!!! Holy crap it feels good. I could not have done everything without the wonderful people in my pod though. They helped set up and take down many times and kept me sane. I needed a day like this to catch up on some things but I don't think I could handle the stress every clinic. I was also happy to know that my mom is still the cleanest pt I've cleaned (she was one of my 1bs today) probably due to the fact that she uses a sonicare. Give thanks to the tiny bubbles and sonic action!

1/22/09

Today was great, lots of x-rays and class II and V exams. My afternoon pt was hilarious. He came in with his wife and loved to tell stories. I'm not sure if everything was true, but it was fun to listen to. I'm glad I'm getting my exam quads over with.

1/20/09

Today was very productive even though my afternoon pt didn't show at the VA. I scaled 4 quads of a 3 exam and passed of arestin, desensitization and ultrasonic PEs. I love talking to the vets, they have some amazing stories, but mostly they are just amazing people.

1/15/09

Yay for 1b's!!! That is about all I'm getting these days, at least they're easy and usually on time. I also got in some bwx, which I feel get easier and better every time. My pm pt was legally blind due to macular degeneration. It astounded me to hear all the things he had accomplished: Master's in education, writing a book, in the process of filming a documentary. I think every aspect of life comes down to 2 choices, to live well or to not live. He was an inspiration to me and I hope when I come across hard times I remember his attitude and perseverance.

1/8/09

Today was a joke. I can't believe the audacity of some people. Both am and pm pt's no-showed. I found a 1b off the recall list and was able to do some x-rays, but my heck... I hope this is not an indicator of the rest of the semester.

1/6/09

wow, it's been almost a decade since the Y2K scare. haha, I always thought it was a load of crap anyway! (good thing I was right) So it's my first day back and I'm at the VA. I saw a 1b and V today, which was ok to get all the cobwebs out that had accumulated over the break. I really need to work at feeling decay under crowns, that is one thing that was pointed out to me today. I'm a very visual person and it's hard to imagine 'what lies beneath.' Lucky for me, that goes for calculus too. I miss Connie, but it's good to learn from different people.