Clinical Excellence Day

Through my connection with the Oral Health Departments at the RIDOH, I was able to help collaborate with other pre-dental clubs throughout the state and create a seminar series this past winter. The series involved 4 lecture, which all had different types of dentists and oral health professionals lecture about their everyday life. I have also established a connection with the president of the Brown pre-dental club and we are discussed possible ideas for collaboration in the

Excellence: Self improvement is a constant challenge and a goal worth striving for. Especially in a field as dynamic as dentistry, with advancements in scientific research and technology changing the face of dental practice. As a

Being a first year student at the Fortis Institute Dental Hygiene School, I have experienced many wonderful things. I have made new friendships, enhancing my learning experience, furthering my career, and my personal favorite experience, clinic. I have learned many techniques from observing the other students during this time. Also, being in the clinic had shown me that being an RDH is what I want to do. In my essay I will discuss my Fears, experiences, observations, my new found confidences, and finally how my view of Dental Hygiene has changed.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Molly Koopman, Expanded Function Dental Assisting Program, Miami Jacobs Career College, Springboro, OH 45066

For my last clinical observation, I decided to do my off-campus rotation on 20th April 2018 at the East Valley Health Center Dental Clinic. This was a great opportunity to observe the second year dental hygiene students in an environment that was completely foreign to me.

As per usual, I volunteered in the operatory of the Allen Saxe Dental Clinic. Today, I was the only dental assistant working. We had a moderate patient flow, but we seemed to get everybody out in good time. I interacted with the front desk receptionist, hygienists, and the dentists. Usually I would interact with the other pre-dental students volunteering, but today no one but me was there. My favorite dentist was in the office today. She was so happy to see me and she requested that I work with her, even though I was actually initially placed with another doctor. My interactions with the hygienists were no more than just a simple hello and good morning.

I was accustomed to viewing the dental office from a patient’s perspective; however, this has changed after enrolling in a dental assistant course. The course intrigued my interest though the hands on learning, along with the opportunity for direct patient care. Although the course has prepared me to become a dental assistant, it has also introduced me the various dental health occupations. Ultimately, inspiring me to expand my career in dental health and pursue an education in dental hygiene.

The convention provided me with a platform to learn about the dental practices, hygiene, and technology. I learned about various dental

At the conclusion of her high school academic career, Claire Keller planned to enter a field far from that of dental hygiene, one perhaps centered on the natural world. She even began an internship at a fish and wildlife park in order to explore related career opportunities. It wasn’t until a friend of hers told her that she was going into dentistry that she was reminded of her many positive experiences in dentist offices throughout her early life. She has always received her dental work at the Wakarusa Family Dentist Office in town and always felt welcomed and encouraged there.

Naraghi, the general dentist that I shadowed for almost a year, had always told me to follow a career path that makes you excited to get up in the morning and I would always think about dentistry at that moment. In his office, I set up the room for patients, took their blood pressure and helped them feel more comfortable. I also spent a significant amount of time with Dr. Naraghi learning about dental tools and their uses. He became my mentor and familiarized me with different responsibilities of a dentist. He shone light on how special is the bound between a patient and his dentist as you could always hear him singing when working on his patients and they seemed to love his attitude and sometimes even request songs from

Right now, I am attending Nova Southeastern University in order to achieve a Bachelor's degree in Biology. I chose to become a biology major because I believe biology is the topic that will better prepare me to get into dental school. In addition, I deciding to go to the College of Dental Medicine “Dentistry” for my early immersion activity. During this event I will learn about a career in dentistry, experience performing dental procedures, and learn about the NSU College of Dental Medicine curriculum. I am also volunteering at a dental office. I volunteer at a dental office to learn more about what it is like to be a dentist and to determine if dentistry is the right fit for me. Also, by volunteering at a dental office I get to experience what it’s like working at one. All dentist must have social and leadership skills. In order to acquire these skills I work on being knowledgeable, compassionate, and a good problem solver. I am also planning on taking leadership classes at

A variety of factors have drawn me towards Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona. The relatively new facility has intrigued me due to the ability to study using the latest technology. The student to faculty ratio is also an aspect that has caught my attention. The most appealing factor is my belief that I will be able to contribute to the mission values of Midwestern in improving oral health. My extensive and varied volunteering experience has allowed me to understand the importance of serving others. I believe that working and volunteering in the healthcare setting has allowed me to develop the ability to relate with patients on a personal level and has strengthened my ability to communicate with a diverse audience. Research

I grew up with a passionate dentist as a mother, who would often go into great depths about her work with me and would sometimes even bring home x-rays and pictures to show me cavities that patients had and how she fixed them. I began shadowing her, to better understand the work, and I immediately developed an interest in technologies such as UV curing and 3D impression modeling. I wanted to learn more, so I applied to her VA hospital’s volunteer program. Over the next several years I had the privilege of working as a neurologist’s assistant, an IT team member, and an emergency room patient coordinator. This long-term apprenticeship exposed me to the latest advancements in healthcare technology.

On April 20, 2017, MB2 Dental Solutions hosted dental students in its last recruitment occasion of the year from Texas A&M College of Dentistry. The turnout of the event was exciting. Most of the students who attended were third and fourth years. They had crucial

Today I had a great day at the clinic. For the morning section, I had Omar Lora as my patient. Last time when he came, I collected all my assessment data. Today I updated his medical history, dental history, vitals, and EIOE, then I completed filling out the gingival assessment, the treatment plan, and the SAOP. Finally, I was ready to have my assessment data checked. It went really well, and I learned ways to helped me be more efficient with my time management, for example, I did not know how to have my radiographs up in the other monitor while I was doing my assessments. It was a little time consuming having to open and minimized the window every time I needed to look at the radiographs. Also, I discovered that having a piece of paper out and taking