UDHA convention

Yesterday we went to the UDHA convention in SLC. To start the day off I had planned on riding the train with the all the girls but of course I was running late as usual and I missed it!!! The convention was at Little America Hotel. It was a very small convention compared to what I am used to. This made it kinda quaint and nice. They served us food and we sat at tables which is different then I am used to. I tried on Loupes. I am so confused on what to buy. There are too many choices!! I didn't end up buying any today. I am going to wait until I know what I want and what I like and don't like. It was a fun day to spend with all the girls and get to know them a little better!!

2nd year observation

Thursday I had the opportunity to observe the second years. I was assigned to pod 4. When I showed up I felt a little awkward because the seniors didn't know I was coming so they were surprised. I remember when I was working I hated when you had someone shadowing you all day. So I know how they felt. Tanya, Jamie and Heather were the ones in this pod. They were all really nice. Jamie's patient didn't show. I felt so bad for her. Tanya and Heather both had patients but I chose to observe Heather. She had a patient that was a class II. She went over HH and we took x-rays and we were over an hour into the appointment before she had even laid her back in the chair. I knew appointments took a long time but I was still surprised at this. I was able to observe such great things this appointment. She used the ultrasonic and hand scaled. She was also able to use the laser on the patients gum tissue. This was new for me to see. Overall this experience was a very good one!! Heather was so kind to share some great insight with me. I appreciated this experience because now I sorta have an idea of how the clinic works and what to expect as patients start coming through.

Probing......

Today we learned how to probe. I was a mix of excited and nervous! Megan was my partner....poor girl! I was so surprised at how little pressure is actually used. My grip is tight. I feel like I am nervous so I am holding on to it for dear life!! I am not comfortable with it at all. I feel like I need to practice practice practice!!!

Fun day!

Wednesday in lab we learned how to do extra oral exams. This was kind of fun!! Not to mention it sorta felt like a massage! It was kind of a lax day since the PE came fairly easily and then we had plenty of time to pass off PE's. I passed off health history and vitals. My vitals PE I passed off with Professor Costley. The other PE's I have past off with the instructors or TA's so I was a bit nervous but she was very nice and told me I did a great job!! Wednesday was a great day!!

Good Day!!

Today we learned how to take blood pressure. I had done this before so it wasn't that hard for me to pick up! Then I was able to pass off my PE's for positioning and mirror, fulcrum. and instrument grasp. The later PE was not my finest but I passed!!! I got a bit confused but wormed my way through it!! I really am enjoying school and getting to know everyone on a more personal level. This week we have 3 tests and I am a bit nervous about that. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that I am able to separate the info and do well!!!

My brain is getting tired!!!!

So I don't think I have learned this much in such a short period of time since High School.....OK maybe not even then!! ;) There is a lot of information coming at us right now and all I can think is that my brain is tired! This week coming up I have 3 tests!! I can hardly imagine how I am going to get through all of them not to mention passing off PE's in clinic. I know I will but when I look at it all I get a bit overwhelmed!! One day at a time I think is best!!

Some good.....some bad......

Wednesdays are Radiology in the morning and clinic in the afternoon. In the morning I was not feeling very good about my knowledge of taking x-rays and mounting them. I can read all the book stuff and understand the concepts but, and it's a big but, it didn't seem to help me when I was actually taking the x-rays. I haven't taken x-rays very much and it sure showed. I think all the girls in my group have been dental assistants so they are very well rehearsed in taking x-rays. I was feeling inadequate to say the least as lunch break began.

In the afternoon we went to clinic. A gourmet sandwich as I like to call my bag lunches, helped my mood a bit! Right away the topic for today caught my interest. I understand that I am an older student than most of the girls in our class and I will be 34 when I graduate. I know that my body is different then those girls and I need to be even more aware of my posture. My body has changed with getting older I can imagine that the stress I will put on my body in my career will add to the aging process so I need to be super aware. I liked hearing from the instructors and learning of their experiences. Instructor Haefen has been so helpful. She is seriously soooo good at what she does and always has a smile on her face. This helps me be excited about what we are learning and she makes me feel comfortable to ask questions and make sure I understand clearly.

So at the end of the day morning kinda sucked and afternoon kinda rocked so overall pretty good day!! I am learning that some things are going to come easier than others. I just need to allow myself to not be the best and just learn at my own pace instead of comparing with all these stellar girls!! :)