iNstruMentiNg..

Yep-- today in clinic we were able to take out ALL of our instruments and visually examine and describe each one of them.  It was great to be able to determine which instruments are used for anterior or posterior teeth, and which are used for heavy or light calculus, and much much more.  A lot of them looked so similar to me, so I will def need to study them a bit more to be able to decipher which is which when comparing.  Things are piling up, and I am starting to STRESS!  I need to pass off probing and exploring next week, and it seems like there isn't enough time in a day to get everything done.  I did pass off the intra-oral PE in clinic today, and that was nice to have out of the way!  I have a race in Indiana this weekend and that will be fun, but it is stressful missing class and trying to stay caught up and stay ahead of the game.  I am surviving thus far, so hopefully I continue to do so.  :)  Life is fun, good, stressful, and exciting, and I can't wait to run my little legs off at Notre Dame this weekend.  WEBER STATE IS TRULY GREAT!

Exploring!

In clinic today, we learned exploring and how it is performed and why it is performed.  We practiced on our typodonts first, and then I had the grand opportunity to explore Erin's mouth-- boy it was sure purtty!  :)  We just went supragingivally this time, but next time I'm sure we'll go sub: dun dun dun!  I felt like exploring is a little easier than probing, however, it might have seemed that way because I wasn't actually working in Erin's gum tissues-- It sure is easier to instrument when you're just "going through the motions" on the surfaces of the teeth!  :)  I feel pretty good about how it went, and hopefully when it's time to pass off the PE, I'll be ready-  Posterior teeth are extremely hard to access, but we all know that practice makes perfect, and I want to be just that!  Yay for hygiene happenings!  It still is amazing to me how much information we have already been exposed to in such a short amount of time. . I still have a lot to learn, though, and this exciting journey doesn't end soon--

Probing to new heights. . nope nope: DEPTHS!!

The time has arrived!  I held an instrument in my hand today, and went inside.  Not only did I go inside a mouth, but I went inside a REAL human mouth:  Where there were real lips and gums and a tongue and a body with a HEART attached.  YIKES!  Clinic was intense today. . in a good way I suppose.  Sweet, adorable, little Candice was my partner today, and she was a trooper.  She was very patient and kind as I  PROBED her little mouth away.  It was very hard for me to get the hang of the angles and such, however after much patience and HELP from our amazing TA Karen and Instructor Hafen. . . I got it!  (Well, I'm not anywhere near being a pro...but that will come.  Right?!)  I really really loved using the loupes, and they allowed me to work more efficiently and correctly.  I love trying different ways to help make me the best hygienist I can be.  

Candice turned around and got to work on my mouth, and she did great!  She was a little nervous at first, but I could tell she started getting the hang of it. . she didn't hurt me or make me scream or cry ONCE.  Whoop whoop!  Shout out to Miss Zaugg!  :)  I love her. .  

Anyway folks:  each day brings on more and more challenges and I just have to stay focused and calm.  More tests, more PE's to learn, more studying, and it goes on and on.  Hygiene is an intense word/place/program in my life right now, but I wouldn't want to be ANYWHERE else.  Life.....it's good!  

"C'mon Inn": the intra-oral way!

I was all up in Erin's bizznass this morning in clinic: performing the intra-oral exam!  I thought the extra-oral was hard. . . sweet moses!!  There is so many structures and surfaces to remember with this one, but after practicing it and reviewing it with Erin, it made it a lot easier.  I still need to review things a lot more, but it was fun to go inside and see the mouth. :)  One difficult thing with the intra-oral exam is that you have to be able to name different abnormalities: the color, size, surface, generalized/localized, name, etc. . However, it'll come with time.  Yeah boi!  It was a relief to pass off the Health History PE today. . things build up quick if you're not paying attention, it'll bite you in the booty!  Clinic was good today-- it still is stressful often times, but I'm started to get the hang of this program and all in all, life is good!!   

Mini Massage :)

Who knew I'd come to clinic today to have Mark and Candice give me a face/head massage?  What a treat. . . The extra-oral exam is a great way to find out if your patient has any lumps or bumps or other abnormalities that you (and they) need to be aware of.  We palpate, rub, move, and "massage" different areas of the face/head, and it is so good to practice and feel what "normal" feels like, so we can be ready and prepared when we feel and see "abnormal" things on our patients.  It was great practicing on each other, and we had a great TA to help us along the way.  Michelle: I love your guts!  I passed off the mirror and fulcrum PE and Vitals PE today: BOOM BABY!  It feels so good to have some out of the way, because I was getting stressed at how fast they build up-- Clinic was great today-- Michelle and Instructor Hafen were so so helpful in teaching us different ways/positions to instrument and hold our mirrors.  I seriously learned so much from them: so a HUGE shout out and thanks to them.  They helped make my life easier that way.  My pod is the bomb dot com and I love this group!  Well folks: that's what's been happenin' in hygiene!  Now, I'm off to the books.

"Sanka. . ya dead?"

Who would have thought that as a Dental Hygienist we would be taking vitals on our patients?  Not me. . I have never in my life had my hygienist take my blood pressure and see how many breaths I take in a minute.  However, after learning about why we do this, it really made sense and I think it is a wise idea.  (Especially to find out if our patient is dead or alive....probably a good idea.)  We learned how to take a pulse, determine blood pressure, and determine the respirations of our patient.  It was a learning experience for me, because I've never taken vitals before.  I was a little shaky and not confident in my first attempt, however, after practicing it more and more on different patients I got the feel for it-- I was able to pass off the Patient/Operator positioning PE, and Professor Costley said I was "so well prepared".  YAY--studying does pay off.. hee hee ;)  Things are becoming more and more stressful...more exams, more PE's, more x-rays, and more clinics!  Heaven help me. . .  But-- I continually remind myself how LUCKY I am to be in this program, and all of amazing girls and boys that I have to help me.  Life. Is. Good. and I. Am. Blessed. 

9.7.2011-- a [different] kind of history.

Today in clinic, we learned how to read a patient's health history form and chart it on the treatment record.  It was a lot of information at one time, but reviewing it and practicing it with our partner helped a whole lot!  It seems like there are so many rules to remember and follow: HHX, HH/Rx, medical alerts, underline this and that in red pen, list the dosage of medications taken by the pt., sign here, have the pt. and instructor sign there, be kind and gain trust, be educated and speak in terms that the patient can understand, and the list goes on and on.  It was a bit overwhelming at first, but as the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect", and we are all on our way to becoming the BEST hygienists out there-- I just have to continue to take it ONE day at a time.  That is the key to survival-- in my [green] eyes.  At the end of our clinic session, we watched, "If Saliva Were Red". . . enough said.  (Okay, okay, I'll expound.)  It was horrific and I hope and pray that I never see a patient that has red saliva-- GROSS!  Everything looked absolutely contaminated, and it was such an eye opener-- we really need to take the topics pertaining to contamination seriously.  Today was. . . long: but yet again- much was accomplished, and I have made history....today!  :)