Instruments...Instruments....AND more Instruments.

That is right, today we learned all about instruments!! And boy do we have lots of those!! I swear they all looked alike to me, but clearly they are all different. I just need to look at the instruments and understand them all. My problem is I dont feel like I have ANYTIME to learn the skill that we are taught. Plus things are just going to pick up and boy am i nervous! I have got to get probing and exploring down!! Those are my goals this weekend, if nothing else, I will understand both of those and be confident that I can do it! I passed off my intra oral pe today and everything went well. I must say....you get to learn alot about your pod partner, and I just keep learning more and more about Erin. haha She has a scare on her chin, she doesn't like it, but i think it brings character! Ü See...these are the things you would have never known about Erin, if I did not do this intra oral exam on her! Im sure by the time we graduate, I will know all about Erin, inside and out! haha

E.X.P.L.O.R.I.N.G

The post says it all.....we EXPLORED today in clinic. This was just not any adventure, it was an adventure inside the mouth!! YA PRETTY AWESOME HUH! I would be jealous too!! Ü There are some areas of the mouth that I understand and can grasp alot easier than other areas. Seriously, I stink at indirect vision. I feel so uncoordinated when I try to use my mirror and explore/probe and look into my mirror! Its a little sketchy if you ask me!! I have GOT to understand that right now or else im in deep trouble!! Like every single one of my posts, im sure the skills will come with time. But me being a very impatient person.....it doesnt work so much!! I get down on myself so much when I cant understand something, then i feel like everyone else around me is learning so much faster than I am, and I just stop and think to myelf, it does not matter what everyone else is doing, all that matters is how im holding up!! Practice makes perfect.....I BETTER HOPE IT DOES!!! Heaven help me!!
On a side note...Dancing with the stars is on tonight and guess what....I am NOT watching it because guess who has to study....this girl does!!! Whats new, right?! This is my life!

OUCH!!!....STOP PROBING ME!!

Ladies and Gents, we have officially moved into the mouth!! First off, this clinic was ROUGH!! Literally....it was rough!! When i was younger i NEVER liked to get poked, so what makes everyone think I want to now!! hahah Just kidding, i know why! This clinic I was so freakin nervous!! I have never had so much sweat come out of me like i did in clinic today!! I discovered that when Candice is under MUCH pressure (and super scared) + Doing something I HAVE NEVER done before (probing on my friend Laken) = SWEAT STAINS ALL OVER!!! Disgusting...yes, did i learn stuff...yes. Was I scared out of my mind...yes!! I am having a hard time grasping the angles concept, and then also learning to read the probe is quite hard as well. Like everything we learn it always takes time! Heaven help me! I want to get this down on lockdown!! I hate feeling inadequate, ya know? But i know this is how we all start out!
This whole day I was thinking I would be torturing Erin with my probe, but low and behold they switched everything today. While Erin and I were exchanging our, "I am really sorry if I hurt you" statements, Instructor Hafen throws a curve ball into the mix. Not like we already had curve balls thrown at us today. haha Anyways she yells out, "Laken and Chelsea your together." Ya your probably thinking the same thing I was...Her name is not Chelsea?! Ya we laughed and got my correct name down, and then proceeded to probing. Laken and I smiled and hurry and exchanged our "sorrys" and i jumped into the chair. Laken...YOUR ROCKED THE PROBING!!! This girl new what she was doing and did not ... I repeat DID NOT hurt me at all!! Holla! hahaha Next it was my turn and yes I think I hurt her. hahaha not really but who knows, Laken could totally be lying to me to make me feel good. She does that!!
Yes i passed off my vital signs pe and extra oral pe!! My whole Pod did, ya baby!!
Life is good, we are stressed...WELCOME TO HYGIENE!! Whoop whoop!!
Until next time!

Take a journey into my mouth!....sick!

Yes today was the day for intra oral exams. First off, this exam was not as comfortable and relaxing as our last exam. There are SO many little crooks and crannies in our mouths i had no idea we ever had. Its always fun to take something you see in a book, and actually see it on a person in real life!! It makes everything just click. Of course every mouth is completely different, but none the less it is still a mouth. Today was stressful a little bit. I had PE's that needed to be passed off and it seemed like we had not enough instructors. It would be nice to have an instructor in every pod all the time, but since monday clinics there are only three, they try to hit everyone. Let me tell ya, PE's STACK UP! (Yes just like our "stack" we learned with our fingers) You have to stay caught up or else, your in deep trouble. My goal is to study them tonight and tuesday, and then pass my vitals and extra oral exam pe's off wednesday! Wish me luck!!

Pedicures...manicures....FACE MASSAGE!!!

Oh ya baby, you read it right...it was spa day in clinic today!! Ü Well not really, but it sure felt good to RELAX for a split second. I mean lets be honest...clinic stresses me out!! I love it, but i hate it! We learned how to note and do an extra oral examination. I really enjoyed clinic today, I learned a lot and it seems that every little piece of information/skill we learn, it all comes together somehow! The instructors rotated pods today and so my pod (which is without a doubt a stellar pod to be in)was able to have instructor Hafen and Michelle who is a TA for our clinic. AMAZING!! I learned so many tips and so much advice from these two ladies, that literally my stress level was brought down to where I could manage it! haha They take a basic skill and add little tips on top of that to help you work effectively. I passed off my mirror/fulcrum grasp today and it felt easier than the first time i picked up an instrument! The things you learn with time!! Clinic was good today, life is still stressful, but i love it!! Ü

Flat Line....your dead!

Who knew you would ever take vitals as a hygienist?! I thought nurses only did that. Very new experience for me! You most definitely need good senses if you want to be able to do vitals haha. On some of my pod pals, it was harder to find a pulse then others. Some it was super easy and well felt, and other times it was a very low and slight tapping of the vessel. Word of advice, if it is harder to find a pulse/blood pressure in the right arm, switch to the arm that is closest to the heart (left arm). It was definitely easier to find this way. And when you look at the whole scheme of things, it sure does make sense. I must admit, it was fun playing nurse for a little bit haha. Get the best of both worlds! My pod was able to pass off some pe's today, which was a great thing since they are most definitely piling up!! It STRESSES ME OUT TO NO END!!! Do we ever get to breathe in hygiene?.....NO! Ü But at least we are busy and not bored....oh how we are never bored. It is one thing after another. Just when you thing you are over with an exam....BAM!...psych, you are studying for two more for the next day. OH yes i said TWO more haha, it is a never ending cycle. Sometimes i wonder if i will ever make it through the week alive. BUT...somehow I always do. Ü

Health and History

If you were a patient and had no idea what we were writing down on your treatment record (which alot of the time you dont know what the hygienist is doing) you would think it was alot of mumbo jumbo. Well atleast that is what i thought when i would see it in my chart. Yesterday was finally the day to understand what it all was. Wow....i am still trying to understand it all. Time consuming yes...but worth it..yes. Of course while we were doing the hhx on each other, since none of us really had any serious health issues, our hhx was quite ideal. Easy, quick and not too complicated. But in reality is that what all of my patients will be like, no. So I must say i am grateful for being able to learn this to help accomodate my patients if needed.
Like every skill I learn, i am hoping and praying i catch on to it all. It is definitely alot to digest, and i am still digesting everything else we are learning/have learned. Oh the joys of being a first year student! haha
It will come to me, just need to study and practice more!!