{Pt. positioning, instrument grasp, and fulcrum!}

Today was really fun!  We learned all about proper ergonomics as the operator.  How to sit, work, and where the patient needs to be in relation to the area we work on in the mouth.  I'm really glad they make it a big deal to sit properly, because of how important it is to keep your neck and spine in line, as well as your hands and wrists.  I never knew you could get such terrible injuries from a job that you just sit down at! :)  We also went over how the patient needs to be positioned, and all of the clock positions.  I made sure to read in Nield last night and I feel like it really helped me to make sense of it all.  It can be confusing to know where you need to sit, the direction the face needs to be turned, and where the light needs to be.  I know that all of that will become second nature soon.  It really is just common sense if you think about it.  We also learned about proper instrument grasp and fulcrum.  They let us loose and we were able to practice all of that on our typodonts.  It was a little awkward, I won't lie.  But I feel like the more I do it, and get some muscle memory, I won't even have to think about it.  Just remember....stack those fingers!!  I had a tendency to let my pinkie go wayward!  I'm going to really try and focus on my posture and get good at indirect vision.  Indirect vision is hard on the linguals of the anteriors!  If that had been a real pt., they would have been bleeding like crazy! :)  I was also able to pass off 2 PEs today!  Exposure control set up/ Exposure control tear down and maintenance!  It feels good to be caught up!  Now I need to practice, practice, practice what we learned today!  Enough rambling....peace out!!

{Set up, tear down, suction!}

Today was a pretty good day!  We all learned how to properly set up our units for pt. treatment, and tear down after you are done.  It's not difficult, just making sure that you have everything barriered that needs it is the only tricky thing.  I passed off my PPE PE also!  Yay!  Also, we were able to practice suction on our pod partners.  Me and Candice worked together today!  We got used to using our blue boa, HVE, and saliva ejector on each other.  Candice did a great job...I didn't drown!  Hopefully next time I can pass off the two PEs we learned today.  I just really don't want to get behind, especially on the simple PEs.  Well...see ya Wednesday!

Personal Protective Equipment

Today was our second day in clinic.  It was a pretty fun day!  We went over the PPE PE.  It was really good to know why we do things a certain way.  I started a pretty bad habit of putting my mask under my chin while working as an assistant in private practice.  I never really thought about all the aerosols and bacteria that can be in the mask and on your face.  We also went over the correct way to do it.  Mask, eyewear, and hands.  Hands need to be washed in three 15 second intervals.  Outside, rinse, interdigital, rinse, fingernails, and final rinse.  Hands need to be completely dry, and then the gloves can be put on over the cuff of our lab coats.  Ann Arrington came in today to show us her invention: the Blue Boa.  We got to practice using it on our typodonts.  It's pretty interesting, and I'm sure it will be a huge help when we actually start using the Ultrasonic.  She was really nice and very willing to answer any questions or give us tips.  We were also able to practice using the HVE, saliva ejector, and the A/W syringe on our typodonts.  It was fun to feel like I was actually doing something. I was also able to pass off my Eaglesoft PE.  One down, a million to go! :)

Clinic Day 1, and Eaglesoft

Today was our first day of clinic!  It was really fun getting all set up in our units and getting to know the others in our pods.  First, we met all together in the clinic instructor area and went over the schedule.  Then we went back to our units and got familiar with the Eaglesoft PE.  I'm used to Dentrix, so Eaglesoft was a little different, but doesn't seem too complicated.  We scheduled ourselves in our operatories for the rest of the semester, so that was fun to see.  Then we got familiar with our units and found where everything was and how everything worked.  Next, we went on a little scavenger hunt to help us get more familiar with the DH department.  It was good to see where everything was and get a little more familiar with everything.  Finally, we got all moved into our units and put all of our instruments away.  It was nice to get rid of the huge box finally! :)  Overall, clinic was pretty stress free and fun!  I'm sure it will get a whole lot more stressful as time goes on and the PEs start getting more challenging and start piling up.  I just need to get a little more familiar with Eaglesoft and get really organized.  So until next time!

My first official post!

Today was orientation day and we got all of our instruments and lab coats.  I can't believe school starts so soon.  I'm definitely stressed, but excited.  I've gotten lots of information and paid lots of money...but it will be worth it in the end!