Christmas Break!

Finals are almost over, thank goodness! We'll have a very well-deserved break for a while to enjoy ourselves and have a great party at Natalie's house!!! (yeah!!!) Well, I hope you all enjoy the break and do something fun and not school-related. I'll be off to Mexico for a bit between christmas and new years so don't worry about me at all... I'll be having fun!!!

Thank you Caleb!

Today was so much fun! I actually got to work on a real patient (not that my lab partners weren't real, they were just too clean before I even got to them!) It went very well, I got an entire quad done and Professor Hansen said I did a very nice job and that she didn't feel any residual deposits! I've never had the opportunity to work with Professor Hansen before and just from my experience with her today I'm really excited to continue working with her in the future. She was so nice and helpful and she pushed me to try and scale as much as possible today. She thought that I could get through the patient's entire mouth today which unfortunately didn't happen because she and I both forgot to factor in time for x-rays and the fact that I was nervous and took forever before getting my scale check. It was fun to see some real calculus! My patient really didn't have very much but there was some to be found which was exciting enough for me:) I can't believe we've come this far and that this was my last day working in clinic for the semester! I'm so grateful there's a break coming soon... but I'm really hoping I don't lose all of my skills over christmas. I felt like a real hygienist today! I can see the end's a bit closer now!!! Hopefully today went well for everyone else too... it was seriously the quietest day ever in clinic. Even the forgotten pod was silent! (yay char, staci, shalyce and tandem! They always sound like they're having way too much fun over there!hehe).

Here it is! Finally!!! ...and we never thought the day would come:)

The last PE! We did it! We passed off the very last PE of the semester! Finally an end can be seen and on Monday we get to work on people who actually have calculus left ...and most of their enamel:) Today was quite the productive day for me. I got to clean Shalyce's teeth from start to finish like a real appointment with a real live patient! It made me feel really good to be able to get all of her teeth scaled and polished and perfectly sparkly and still have time to chart while Shalyce cleaned up my chair. I doubt Monday will go so smoothly but I'm still excited and I feel like I'll be able to get some real work done on my patient... Caleb get ready because here I come! hehe.

Another great day being a patient!

So here it is, my last cleaning for probably a pretty long time :( kind of sad, but at least we get to start the real work now! I'm so excited for real patient day, especially after being Shalyce's patient today. She was so fun to work with and I was in a really helpful mood for some reason but it was fun to help her understand some things a little better and I liked learning the little tricks that she had found as well. Once again, I helped another fellow classmate become familiar with the Montana Jack and McCall's ...my two favorite scalers so far! Shalyce did a really awesome job and she actually finished the entire appointment and I think she also managed to be the first one done with charting and breaking down her unit (with a little help of course :) It was a really great day and I could have worn street clothes had it not been for Radiology in a few minutes.
I'm also way excited because over the weekend I finally found myself a ward that I think I'm going to like (thanks Staci and Abby!) Tonight we're going to try and go country dancing for FHE with the ward and that should be way fun! It's been interesting lately being single made me lonely at first but now I'm realizing all the freedom I have to go have fun with my friends and to make new awesome friends... Life is soooo good:) If only there could be a way to make the whole dating game less awkward and dumb...

Best Clinic Session Ever!

Oh my i love it! Yay for being Sarah's patient all day! She did so good today and I really enjoyed helping her learn the McCall's and Montana Jack (my two favorites so far!) Also, I think you could all agree with me that vanish varnish is not the best thing in the world... it just doesn't taste or feel pleasant in any way despite the not so unpleasant minty taste when it is very first applied. Good luck on the anatomy test this week everybody I haven't taken it yet but it sounds like it won't be too bad just like the other anatomy exams have been.
Also, a side note for all of you politically minded people out there: Whether you voted for him or not, he's our president and now as such we should respect his position and have hope that he will do what's best for the country as it is our patriotic duty. I'm not very big on politics I'm just incredibly tired of all the radical comments I've been getting from both sides so please, just deal with it! He's not the antichrist, he's not muslim, he's not a terrorist, he is an American citizen, and he's a decent guy as is McCain so please at least give him a chance to win your support. And that is the last you will hear from me reguarding politics ...hopefully... I'm so done trying to calm enraged friends.

Mock Patient Nothing to Laugh At!

Today was so helpful, I feel like I can actually clean teeth! (thank you Sarah!) It was really fun to see everything come together into one complete appointment and it wasn't as scary or taxing as I thought it would be! I also got to help Sarah release a piece of floss that had been tangled in her lingual bar for two months! My lingual retainer is that twisted wire material just like hers and it always catches and shreds my floss and it drives me crazy as I'm sure it was for her so it felt good to actually make a small difference in the comfort of my patient:) Also that cherry cheesecake fluoride smells absolutely amazing which doesn't help with the hunger pangs in my stomach!

New Muscles and Friends

Well, that's what we're working on here in the Weber State Dental Hygiene program! I'm learning how weak and uncoordinated my hands actually are but it's also been fun to see myself improve as clinic goes on... until the weekend when I get the perfect chance to forget all the precise techniques I learned throughout the week so that I can still be just as awkward when i come back to clinic on Monday :( hehe. I'm sure it'll get there eventually. Also I just thought I'd post this picture because it shows off the awesome bicep that I never had! I can't explain it but even though I don't have any biceps, somehow they randomly show up in random pictures of me, like this one. (and the tennis pic from senior video if Britney is reading this! :)

It's also been fun to make a bunch of new friends. Even though I don't really have one really close friend in here I've been having a blast being friends with all of you. I love how we all feel comfortable enough with each other to not worry about who we sit by or eat lunch with all the time. Thanks to all of you for helping contribute to the awesomeness of our class!

Halloween Ready! ...or not.

Yeah, so Halloween isn't my best holiday. I enjoy it it's fun and a good excuse for a really random costume party but still my creativity just doesn't work as far as dressing myself up goes... I guess rather than a lack of creativity it would be a lack of resources and creativity with the few resources I've got. Clearly this awesome girl has me beat.
Anyway, on a more dental related note, today clinic went well, I passed off anterior instrumentation in clinic and took the practical exam in Radiology clinic which was not too bad ...or so it seemed. Of course McConaughy is hilarious as always with her Halloween tricks and treats which I won't talk about yet since I don't want to ruin the surprise for any of you wednesday clinic girls. Also for all those who have yet to take the practical exam: Good Luck!

Test anxiety!!!

So I really don't get stressed out when it comes to testing and I wasn't stressed out going into the dental hygiene exam for module 2 but when I came across the couple of questions in there that were worded completely wrong I was freaking out! I study hard and usually do well but when I hit messed up questions it actually stresses me out and messes up my concentration on the other questions. Yeah, not so fun. I know that it's impossible to write a perfect test and that it's pretty hard to write even a decent test, but it's also difficult to take imperfect tests so hopefully Costley has mercy on this one... Either way, it's done! One more test to go for this class! And we now get to go enjoy a relaxing weekend! ...I mean study for radiology... right? Good luck all!

It's Been A While

I've been busy lately getting ready for new tests coming up, trying to scale without killing my lab partners, and saying goodbye to my best friend Sharrie who is actually leaving to Argentina for her mission today. Last week I was running around the entire time but I had a blast! I really like scaling and I can't wait to find someone with tons of calculus for me to work on. Board patient... here I come! hehe. Lucky for my lab partners, I wasn't able to brush my teeth for four weeks after my gum graft surgery so I had plenty of build up for Alyse and Jess to work on under my lingual bar. (you're welcome! and thanks for cleaning that up for me it feels so nice now!) Today we also had a real adventure... we got to run through an eathquake drill! hehe, of course it was very realistic, no movement, a very quiet beeping alarm and the earthquake was considerate enough to send out emails a few days ago so we'd all be aware. And if that wasn't enough... there was even a countdown on the powerpoint screens throughout the health building! However, there were still many that went unaware and didn't even notice anything was going on until they were told by someone else to exit the building. So I'm sure we're all feeling super prepared for the big earthquake that should be coming sometime between now and the next two billion years!

Pink and Blue all over!

Just to clarify~this is not my mouth... I do brush with the fuzzy end occasionally.
Wow if there's any faster way to chop away your confidence than PFI readings... I definitely don't want to discover it! We all obviously care about our teeth to be in this profession but still my PFI won't get into the 70's! We are probably a lot more picky with each other than we would ever be with our patients because we're so eager to find SOMETHING in these healthy mouths. However, this program has made me a lot more aware of how I take care of my teeth and what I eat. I'm determined to get my PFI in the 90% range and I will get there! hehe, at least we get a break from the delicious disclosing agent for the rest of the week! Yay!!!

Sleep Learning

This week I'm struggling. Every morning when that darn alarm goes off I think to myself "you've got to be kidding!" My mind has even gone so far as to make up reasons why I don't have to get up including trying to convince myself that class was canceled or it's the weekend. (which makes it really confusing when it really is the weekend and my alarm goes off!) It's not that class or clinic is any harder or even that I'm sleeping less, I've been doing more lately than I usually do, making sure I save time for friends, fun, and relaxation. It just seems like my sleep isn't worth as much as it usually is... It's seriously making it difficult to concentrate and study when I get home... it also doesn't help that my keyboard is broken so I've been struggling to find ways to still do the computer work that is required of me by copy-pasting instead of typing or trying to remember to stay after class and work in the computer lab. Either way, I'm really ready for the weekend ...and it's only Tuesday!

Embryology Fixation!

Okay so the whole idea of having kids honestly freaks me out. Not really any part in particular just the entire thing from having to deal with this being growing inside of me to getting that baby out all the way to trying to send them off to college 18 years later. I'm so scared and obviously right now, I am not ready and I'm not sure if I'll ever be honestly, however, Embryology fascinates me. Today in anatomy I was totally tuned in the entire time while learning about human development and I really don't know why. I've never really had any class or lesson on embryology until now so I never knew how interesting I would find it. My guess is that it's comparable to my reactions to documentaries on sharks. Sharks scare me to death yet learning about them is totally intriguing to me and I love watching them and seeing pictures ...as long as it's not in real life and that shark isn't actually swimming next to me. Yeah, I'm a bit odd... but I'm sure you already knew that if you've been reading this far into my blog. Hehe!

While I was sleeping

Holy Hot! The clinic was like 700 degrees today and it was miserable with our lab coats on! It was so hot we all seemed to be severely drained of energy. I was so tired I actually fell asleep while Jess was practicing probing on me and I'll just say this: not counting the few times I was rudely awaken by a sharp jab to the junctional epithelium (thanks Jess! hehe) it was 90 minutes of relaxation and sleep that I really needed today and oh it was bliss!!! Hehe, yeah I know that's not really our purpose here in clinic but it was definitely a good perk today! Working on Jess was pretty good too, I'm feeling a lot more confident and comfortable with the instruments now. I took some sterile instruments home to practice a bit over the weekend and it really helped me gain some more dexterity with the probe. Exploring is still a bit shaky but hopefully that will come along with time as well. The weekend is over and here we "GET" to start another week... hopefully you all rested up well, good luck with this next unit as well everybody!!! We're all growing and improving so much already it's very exciting.

I SURVIVED!!!!

Oh my gosh! Talk about stressful!!! I so didn't think I'd make it through all those exams but I did! And I did it well too!!!! Thank goodness it's over and I hope all of you survived well too... Either way, it's done now (or will be tomorrow)and now we can move on to Unit 2!!! hehe (while earnestly remembering all of unit one for boards of course :)) Have a good weekend all enjoy this small break... I feel we definitely earned it.

Most Probably Probing!

Wow! We made it past probing and Jess and I didn't even bleed! Go Us! As for everyone else, I didn't see how you did but I hope you agree with me when I say it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was so scared but probing really did seem easier than exploring. Thank goodness they didn't start us off on local anesthesia but I guess if we had than everything else would seem easy and completely unintimidating to us. Hehe. We also got our HHX case studies back today and Hailey and I didn't have too many purple marks on our chart so hopefully that's a good sign... Also I took the Head and Neck Anatomy exam and it went really well! I'm seriously feeling more confident but I'm still scared out of my mind about the Dental Hygiene exam coming up. Good Luck to all!

Explorers!!!!

Wow, Jess and I with sharp instruments in each others' mouths for fourty-five minutes is not a very safe idea! At first it was so scary I thought I was seriously going to rearrange Jess's gingiva and create some nice new extra-deep sulci... Luckily it wasn't that bad. Yes, it was a little awkward and strange feeling trying to master the grip and the "rocking and rolling" explorer motions, but it wasn't nearly as hazardous as I feared it would be... hehe. I loved clinic though because I got the dreaded health history PE out of my way and we are now a step closer to feeling like real dental hygienist (even though we're still incredibly far away). I love getting closer to my goal, even though it seems like every step closer I get the more steps I realize that I still have ahead of me. I've got to practice lots with the exploring using indirect vision, expecially on the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth. I'm way excited to get this new exploring thing down to a second nature-type skill. I also am nervous about probing in the next clinic session. Jess, I'm sorry in advance for all the times I will probably jab you a little harder than I should... Have a good one!!!

For Katee!

This is Jay's sister Katy Griffith, she's way cute and she's single. I don't know about your guy but if you say he's cute and fun she'd probably be up for it...

Anyway, for the rest of you out there, I'm so super stressed for these next tests I'm really hoping they go well. Also, this new "instrument grasp" technique is really going to be throwing me off. Dang double-jointed hitch hiker thumbs!

Keep the Fire Burning!

Well, I had a nice weekend even though it was cut short by the UDHA conference but it was a great break from school. However, I am still struggling not to feel overwhelmed and burnt out now that our first tests are here! This picture of a math problem is about how I've been feeling while trying to study lately. It's not that I'm really struggling with the material it's the fact that I don't know these tests yet and so I've got to learn how to study for all new classes this semester. The only real exams I've had so far have been in Biomed and Patho. While I know how to take and study for those tests like second nature, this year the tests will be all new and different. It's intimidating and I'm really hoping I've studied enough to do alright on the exam in Dental Hygiene I especially. Today for some reason was a really rough and long day and I felt like I almost had to remind myself why I'm here. I know that this is what I want to do and I know I'll have the drive to finish strong and that the professors will do everything they can to help us succeed in class, on our boards, and in our careers when we get there. It's just really hard right now to see past all the stress and worry and loss of sleep. I'm hoping that after this first test I'll relax a bit and realize even more so that everything will turn out just fine in the end... it always does right? For anyone else out there that is stressed or double thinking their career choice, know that you aren't alone but also remember that it really will be worth it and that it will just get better as time goes on. We can get through this!!! P.S. Good luck on your case studies!

Case Studies

So I've been working with Hailey on our case study and I feel we're making it harder than it should be. It seems like we go through everything and get the Tx record all finished and then we find something else that we left out! I don't know if anyone else is feeling as frustrated as I have been with this assignment, plus it seems like each of the pods got slightly different instruction as far as filling out HHX on that sheet. I'm assuming it's not a big deal but it does make it a bit more confusing for us. Oh well, we'll see what happens, I'm just nervous because this is such a complex assignment and it's so heavily weighted in our final grade. Whether you agree with me or not, good luck to everyone!

Massages

First of all, I just wanted to express my excitement at the purchase of my new blue stethescope! It's awesome... hehe
Anyway, today in clinic we finally got to work on real people, not just typodonts which is understandable because the typodonts would not have appreciated the massages nearly as much as we did! Extra-oral exams are pretty easy, a little awkward at first due to this new invasion of personal space but that got a lot easier by the end of clinic. I also thought it was really interesting that when I was examining Jenny today, I actually had trouble finding her sternocleidomastoid muscle. Mine is very pronounced and Jess's was pretty easy to find as well but if jenny didn't have her head positioned just right it would completely disappear! I also learned that I have the worst TMJD in my pod! Yay!
Using the mirror and probe was fun as well to practice working with it and actually being able to see every surface of the teeth very clearly. I've assisted a lot but I was never in a position to use the mirror so that was a new experience for me and I've realized more how hard it can be to see inside some patient's mouths because they have small lips or they get tired of holding their mouth open so they close it with time shutting out your light or getting in the way of your mirror.
I also got to play historian a bit: Jenny was working so I borrowed her camera and took pictures of my clinic. My favorite picture was of Alyse feigning pain while Candace practiced using the mirror for cheek retraction! Alyse is so funny and outgoing it's awesome. I love getting to know everybody because we each add something different and fun to the group!

Get Into Weber

I know we're all very busy but I just want to make sure everyone knows of how much fun they missed out on last night. There was street painting and a free concert for Homecoming Week last night and it was way fun! It would have been even more fun had more of us been there (Yay Meagan I saw you there too!) The first band was some kids from Bonneville High School and while they're not quite mainstream, they know how to have fun. The second was just one guy who goes by "Allred" and he was awesome! He played his own backup intruments using only a guitar (with pedals) and his voice. He's played with lots of well known groups like Yellowcard, Augustana, Ben Folds, etc... If you saw it, you know what I mean and if you weren't there, you really missed out. We're here, we're students, and we might as well enjoy the full benefits and fun of being a Wildcat. Get out there and have some fun!!!

Perfect Learning:)

Yesterday in clinic I had no problem with vitals except for blood pressure. I understand the procedure and I know how to take someone's blood pressure, but I have the hardest time hearing the patient's heartbeat over the creaking and popping of my fingers with even the slightest movements of the patient breathing. No matter how still I try to hold my hand, it still creaks.
Today class was great. I don't know how the rest of you feel but I love Head and Neck Anatomy. It's so interesting to me and I've never really had a problem with memorizing body parts, especially when they're already so familiar and I can actually see how important it would be to know all of the parts that we are learning. I also love the random facts that we're learning, but of course, I am a total nerd. When it comes to anatomy and physiology whether it concerns people or not I can't learn enough! Also, the quiz in Dental Hygiene today wasn't as hard as I had feared it would be. There was so much information in module 6 that I felt there was no way I could actually learn it all. Apparently we all knew those terms and concepts a lot better than I expected we would (as I found out when Costley had us work together to determine the answers). Yep, we're pretty awesome and I love the group quizzes because sometimes it's really hard to get all the information down perfectly in your mind but in your group it's likely that someone has what you are missing and even though you didn't generate the answer from your own mind, that's still a great way to learn. I always remember the questions that I get wrong because they stand out better to me and if I didn't get it, odds are I didn't understand the concept so having someone explain it to me in a different way helps a lot. Plus, it's easier to ask questions in small groups than it is to ask the professor in front of the entire class.
Basically, my favorite thing right now is to step back and see all that we've learned and how far we've come already. It doesn't even seem like we've figured everything out yet and sometimes I still get confused but just in these 2 1/2 weeks we've made some real progress and I'm proud of us first years! (The second years are awesome too of course!)

We deserve to be recognized!

We are in the Weber State Dental Hygiene Program! We will all become the best DENTAL HYGIENISTS out there! (not dentists and definitely NOT dental assistants!) I am so tired of people cutting rank on us. I can understand why, a lot of people don't even know what we are because they go in to see the Dentist and they know that the dentist will also have assistants and secretaries. Why should we be unrecognized? We need to get our profession out there to finally recieve the respect we are working so hard to earn right now in school!
I'm also really tired of telling people what I'm doing and then having them ask about my sister. When I say that my sister is in Medical School, EVERYONE replies "Oh wow! She must be incredibly intelligent!" Like I'm not? I've actually always had better grades than her, I just don't want to spend all of the money I don't have and the next twenty years of my life trying to make a name for myself as a doctor. My career will be important to me and I'll work everyday to be the best I can be, but I don't want it to take over my entire life, I have other things I'd like to do as well.
The worst experience I've had so far was at a family dinner with some friends. One of our recently married friends brought his wife to dinner. His wife had just been accepted into the nursing program and I had just been accepted to the dental hygiene program. She was telling us about how much work it was to go from a business major to nursing and how hard it was to get into the program. She actually said: "The nursing program is extremely competitive and really hard to get into, it's not one of those easy programs like dental hygiene..." Everyone that knew me well saw the fire in my eyes even though I tried to hide it. Trying to contain myself I calmly said: "yeah, I know how that goes, I've been working really hard the last two years and I just got into my really tough, competitive program as well." She nodded in agreement and then asked what program that was and I quickly and nonchalantly said "dental hygiene." She turned bright red and didn't say anything more about it the rest of the night. I know it wasn't her fault, she didn't mean to insult me like that but still, why do we have such a minute reputation? I don't get it, do we not work our butts off to get into this program and then work even harder to get lisenced and graduate with out Bachelors/associates degree as well?

Week Two

So here it is, two weeks and I'm starting to get more adjusted in this new routine! It's a lot of work and a bit stressful at times. The main reason I've been stressed is because everyone keeps asking me how I'm doing and when I say great they seem surprised and talk about how stressed out they would be/were. I kept feeling like I'm missing some big ominous thing about the program, but I've now come to the conclusion that school really isn't as big and scary as everyone seems to think it is. I'm always intimidated before taking classes but as soon as they start, I realize that it's not as bad as I feared. I know I can get through this and that it will be so worth it two years from now when I'm working as a Registered Dental Hygienist. I'm proud of how far we've all come and I'm so excited to keep working together with the other girls to finish strong and get out there and help people take better care of their teeth and bodies.

Healing

I had tissue graft yesterday due to receding gum tissue on numbers 24 and 25. Even though I'm terrified of needles and surgery and pretty much anything that can readily enflict pain, the surgery really wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had the potential to be. Yesterday I was actually very happy. I came home and slept for a few hours and then when I woke up I ate dinner and hung out with my friend Britney. Everything was absolutely perfect until I tried to go to sleep last night. To help protect the site where the graft was taken from, I have to wear a special retainer that is very similar to invisalign that makes it awkward to talk and swallow so after the halcion wore off, I just couldn't get back to sleep. It felt like having one of those annoying head colds when the stuff from your nose is trying to drain and it feels like you can't breathe all day. I seriously can't stand this feeling, so everytime I'd get close to falling asleep, I'd have to swallow which instantly woke me up due to the claustrophobic feeling. I'm hoping that my lack of sleep last night will help with my sleep tonight. With any luck I'll just be way too tired to even care. Good news at least is that I seriously haven't felt ANY pain through all of this, it's just uncomfortable and doesn't taste very good.

Starting Strong

Well, everything seems to be going well, other than the computer problems we've all been having with accessing and printing some of the modules it's all been running smoothly. Classes seem to be straight forward, challenging, yet definitely manageable! Yesterday after class, I was trying to print stuff on in the computer lab when Debbie the secretary downstairs came up and asked me to be a Supplemental Instructor again this semester but this time for Biomedical Core 1110. Last spring I was the SI for Pathophysiology which was a lot of fun and helped me relearn all of the cool stuff I learned while taking the class in the fall. It's been a while since I've had Biomed and I'm not so sure how it'll go with my busy schedule in the program but I'm up for it. Hopefully this will help me remember the information I'll need for the boards next year.
Clinic today was good, I passed off two PE's (personal protection equipment and eaglesoft) which is a relief to finally know what that's actually like. ...not as scary as I thought it would be thank goodness! Working with the typodonts in the chair was fun today too, it got me way excited to actually start working on each other and eventually work up to patients! It was just a taste for now but it's a taste of the dream we're all chasing right now and I can't wait!!! After clinic, i got my teeth cleaned to help me through the two weeks of not brushing the bottom teeth that will come after my surgery on Friday and it was very interesting to revisit a private practice and see the rules and techniques that they do and don't follow. Like Professor Costley said, the clinic here at Weber is very conservative which is the way we should be learning so we can more easily adjust to working in any private practice.

First Day

And there it was, the big first day of clinic! Not as scary as I thought it would be, I had fun getting acquainted with the procedures in the hygiene and radiology clinics. It was interesting today at lunch, I went down to the Union to get a sandwich with Jess, Hailey, and Ashley. I didn't realize how sheltered we are up there in the dental hygiene rooms. Walking across campus all in scrubs on the first day of classes was weird because everyone was looking at us, and in the Union Building we were overwhelmed with the number of people! ...and we thought the clinic was crowded! hehe, it was fun but it's definitely a very different, more controlled and comfortable environment that we have in the dental hygiene program. We were all glad to get back to our nice small groups!

Looking Forward with a Glance at the Past

Well, it's finally here... the weekend before school! This is the time where the excitement is temporarily masked with the feelings of regret and realization that I didn't actually do any of the exciting things I had planned on doing this summer. It's also when I run around like crazy trying to get everything ready for school while spending as much time doing things that will help me feel like I had an exciting and fullfilling summer! I also get to look ahead and think about what I hope this year will hold for me and make goals and plans to make it as fun as possible. School is exciting and I'm really hoping to be active and have lots of fun with the friends I have and the friends I hope to make both in and outside of this program. This will be the first year in college that I won't be working so I've got to make it great! Good luck to everyone! Let's have an amazing year!

Here Goes! The first blog!