Out with the old and in with the new

Hmmmm, well I guess I should update this thing since I said that I was going to keep it, so here goes. The summer started off with a bang! I went to Lake Powell with some friends from hygiene schoool, thanks Becky and Tony, and had a blast. It was so nice to be done with boards and it was so fun to hang out on the beach and boat. I love Lake Powell. I was supposed to go again in June, but I actually had my license and had a job to temp the week they left and didn't want to turn the job down. My first day couldn't have gone better, except for the fact that I missed my turn and started driving toward park city, luckly there was a turn and I actually made it there with plenty of time. The office was great and the dr. said that he was very impressed that it was my first day ever working in a dental office....I thought it went good too, if only they were hiring....Seems like the really good offices aren't hiring. I wonder why?!? I have been working 1-2 days per week working in different offices and a couple have asked me back for other days, Yay. I really want to find a permanent job, but I kind of like temping. I think that it is the best way to see what the office is really like and if you will be a good fit for the office. I didn't really want to work too much this summer, so this has actually worked out pretty well. It would be nice to work a little more in the winter though, so I'm hoping that something comes up. Ok, enough about work......work, schmerk!

I keep toying with the idea of selling my house again, but so far it's not up for sale.....I just don't want to take less than it's worth and right now it is cheaper to keep it than to move and pay rent....I'm still thinking that I might want to move to seattle, but it's easier to get a license there if you have worked 600 hours first, so i'm still working on that.

I am finally over the last boy, well I have been over him for a while, but our paths always seem to over lap, but I have a new spring fling and life is good. It is kind of fun to see the old one get jealous over the new boy....funny! Seems they don't give a shit until someone else comes along. Anyways, I have been having a great summer. I have spent most of my time boating, hiking, working out (trying to lose the weight from hygiene school), working, and hanging out with friends. I can't believe that it is August already. One thing is for sure.....I am so glad that I do not have to start school in a couple of weeks....Life is good.

Finally finished

Yay, I am finally finished! I got 100% on the clinical hygiene boards. I have been going crazy the last couple of weeks thinking of all the things that I might have done incorrectly or forgot to fill out, but it turns out that I did everything just right. No one will probably ever care what score I got as long as I passed, but for now I am just going to continue to be proud of myself and very happy that I am finished. It's so nice to know that I will never have to find another pt or be stressed out all night wondering if they are going to show up and qualify for boards. It's nice that everything is falling into place, finally. Now I just need to find a job, but that is a whole different post......

Oh yeah, Is there anyone reading this blog. I think I am going to keep using it and hopefully stay in touch with everyone and want to link you page to mine, or keep it there if you are still using your hygiene one. Please leave me a message..........

BOARDS....

The word, boards, has had me completely stressed out for the last two years. I had no idea all of the things that we had to go through to complete this program and to become a hygienists. I'm not sure if I would have applied if I had known, so I guess ignorance is bliss, right? The last two years have been so stressfull, but not because they were hard, in fact some of the classes were pretty easy, but because it is so frustrating trying to find pts and hope that they qualify for what you need, most importantly for boards. Oh and then there is the fact that you are stuck in the same classroom/clinic with all girls all the time. I think I had some unrealistic idea that I would have 30 great new friends at the end of all of this, but I am happy that I have a few that I will hopefully stay in touch with now that this is all over. Some I will probably never talk to again, and a couple I could care less if I talk to again. Sorry, just being totally honest since I can write whatever I want now that this is no longer a school assignment.

Boards went a lot better than I could have imagined. First of all, we found out about written boards the day of graduation. It was more exciting for me than the actual graduation. So nice to know that I won't have to take that long ass test ever again. The thing that was funny, is that I didn't start studying for it until about 3 weeks before and others had started studying in December, and from what I know our scores were about the same, so I guess I am just glad that I didn't waste months studying stuff that we had learned for the last year and a half. On friday, I took anesthesia written exam. I don't know why everyone says that it is so hard. The entire group that I took it with passed. I would rather take that test over the written hygiene test any day. I was feeling pretty good for the clinical anesthesia, but when I was setting up my room I started getting really nervous, but when I started to do my injection it went great. I wasn't shaky at all while giving the injections and just a little shaky while caping my needle. I passed on the first try which I think most people did as well. I was really happy to pass and really glad to be able to deposit the money order back into the bank. Oh, and I want to say thanks to my awesome peer pal that was my anesthesia pt on her birthday. Ok, for the big finale! I didn't have hygiene board until the afternoon on Sat. and I really felt like I was going to throw up that morning. I was trying to call my pts sister, since my pt speaks spanish I have been scheduling everything with her sister. I couldn't get a hold of her, but when I got to school, they were already there sitting in the class room waiting. My pt was a little annoyed at how long it would take, even though I had explained it to her multiple times, but agreed to stay once I reminded her that I would be paying her for it. She was a perfect patient. My first submission qualified, so I didn't have to lose any points there. I gave my pt. anesthesia without someone watching me for the first time ever, it was so nice not to have to wait for someone to watch me. The only thing that messed me up, is that when charting, they had marked the f/l probing the opposite that I am used to and didn't notice until I was almost done, so I had to swich the numbers, which I had written in pen. I think I should have double checked that when I was done, but I didn't. I had plenty of time and even ended early. The thing that sucked is that I got done about the same time as the people that started at 12, I started at 1230, so everyones pt was getting checked out at the same time or in line ahead of mine. It took about an hour and forty five for them to check her out. annoying. Hopefully I pass because I am totally broke and would have no way of paying to take the exam, paying for a pt to fly somewhere else, hotel rooms, etc.... The thing that I really think sucks about this exam, is if your pt doesn't qualify, and you cant find a back up that qualifies, you fail the exam. You don't even get to demonstrate you skills, and your out a lot of money and now don't have the resources to find another pt. If you have a pt that qualifies and you don't pass, then you are out about 6 months before you can take the exam again. I think the exam is pretty fair execpt for those 2 things. I thinkt hey could do a better way of making the sceduling more flexable since we are paying them a lot of money for the exam.

Ok this post is getting kind of long. I'm not sure if I am going to use this blog anymore, but I thought that some day I would block this whole thing out and it might be nice to read about some day. I am just going to enjoy the next few weeks like I passed and have a great time going boating, bbqing, spending time with friends, hiking with my dog, cleaning the house, reading a book for fun, and anything else that doesn't involve homework, group work, tests, boards, calling patients.......

Done

I am finally finished with all my requirements! My morning pt. didn't make it until 915, but he let me do nitrous which is the only requirement that I had left. Yeah! My afternoon pt. isn't here yet and isn't answering her phone. I really wanted to see someone hard because it is our last day. I think I am going to sharpen my instruments so they are ready for boards. Crazy, but the next time I am seeing pts. here it will be for boards.

So, it's now 6:30 and my afternoon pt. just called me to find out when I can schedule her. Uggh....I am so sick of dealing with retarded people! What part of this is my last appt. didn't she understand? I'm still not sure if my board pt. can come in on my assigned time. I really hope so cause I don't know where to find another one....

LA mockboard

I wasn't stressed out for today at all, in fact, I sleep really well, which is unusual for me. I think I went into today overconfident for the clinical part. The funny thing is, I got an 86 on the written part and I haven't read any of the book except for 2 chapters quite a while ago. I think I am mostly annoyed because I have done a ton of inhections and the inst. usually say great job and the only advise is to go a little higher when giving the IA, so I try that today and today I was too superior when giving it.

My afternoon pt. cancelled last night, but Alyse had a pt. that needed nitrous, which I still need to do, so I asked prof. A if I could do my pe on her pt. Well, her pt. didn't show up and her husband said that she was on her way, so we waited for a while and by 130 we decided that she wasn't coming, but it was too late to find someone else, so she cleaned my teeth. After that my peer pal came in because I wanted to take a look and practice (with the cap on) the angles for anesthesia boards. I had Alexander come over and once again my angulation was fine.

So, today sucked! I was starving this morning because I didn't eat, I have terrible cramps (sorry if TMI), my contact has been scratching my eye all day and I still have to pass of my nitrous pe and the 2 people that would come in and do it for me are both pregnant, go figure! So if anyone has a pt. that they don't need that wants nitrous please let me know!

VA

I am so happy that I only have to go to the VA one more time. It is kind of annoying to go there when you don't need any requiremets. I had a class IV this morning, but Connie had me and Alyse trade pts. which was fine with me, but not ok with someone else there (not to mention any names) I got a lecture about how it wasn't professional and that we shouldn't "trade" pts. It seems like you can never win! It wasn't my idea and I was just following instructions from my instructor and ofcourse we asked the pts. if it was okay first. I did do some injections before Alyse was ready, so that was nice to have more practice. My afternoon pt. didn't show up, so I just helped everyone chart because we didn't have a CA today. Today seemed like a big waste of day, 4 quads of IB and 5 injections all day. I do like having Connie as my inst. and I like having her watch me give anesthesia. I feel pretty good about the clinical part of that exam, if only I was prepared for the written part. I think I better start studying :)

Two more weeks left.

I cannot believe that there are only 2 more weeks of school left. This morning I seen the pt. that I used for my eaglesoft project. She was a class IV that I didn't need other than the fact that I needed her for this. I only cleaned one quad because I let someone else clean the other 3. The one thing that I learned is to make sure that the person before you took the BP even if you are only seeing them a few weeks later, because if they were supposed to and didn't their inst. might not notice and yours will!
In the afternoon, I seen a new pt. that was taking all kinds of meds and didn't know any of the names. I was able to pull her x-rays from midtown, and the meds from the computer, but it took me a while to look them all up, which is good practice I guess. She is a class III and I was only able to do one quad because she had to leave, but I don't need anymore quads, so I didn't really care that much. I was able to give her an injection which I haven't done for quite a while, so that was good.
At the pod wrap, we talked about anesthesia boards and all the things that you can fail for. I feel pretty good about giving injections but not so good about the disassembly. It is kind of hard to get the needle into the sharps without touching the edges of the cards. I think I will practice doing that a few times before boards. I really wasn't stressed about anesthesia boards until today. Uggh! Glad this is almost over. :)