Although there were some instances in which this junior year caused me stress and desperation it has allowed me to learn so much. It amazes me the amount of knowledge that was thrust before us and how much we are able to apply it to our daily class days as well as clinic. This is a very fast-paced learning environment that requires full dedication but also heart. I say this because as clinicians we have to be willing to work for our patients, willing to learn as much as possible in order to be the most skillful clinicians we can be. This will not come easy, as was apparent even at the beginning of my fall semester.
Fall semester was the toughest one in my educational career. Although I did move to Richmond with the mind-set that I will have to put in extra hours in the library and will constantly be studying, it was nothing like I expected. The 6 week Head and Neck course as well as Dental Anatomy were the courses in which I struggled the most. Head and Neck was a very interesting class, however it me going to the library after class every single day to be able to gain an A. I lived and breathed, head and neck anatomy, I even dreamed about the upcoming exams. Although I did obtain an A as my final letter grade, when our professor sent out the grades I was actually .23 away from an A, but thankfully Dr.McGinn instructed me to create an intensive 40 question head and neck exam that allowed me to gain the few points needed to obtain the A. As funny as it may sound I had my first breakdown because of our Dental Anatomy class. I got a B as my final grade, due to a low C in one of the exams. The thing that discouraged me the most was that I had spent so much time studying for it, even studied with a partner who studied the same material but I still obtained a lower grade. It made me sad because this is literally what we are dealing with, teeth! and I was not able to get a decent grade. What I gained from this experience was that, there is always going to be someone smarter or better at something than you, however, that does not mean that you should give up, it is just motivation for you to work harder. Another thing I realized this semester is that studying in groups benefited me the most. When an exam was coming up I would first listen to the echos and write my notes on a printed powerpoint. After I had gone over it and understood it I would meet up with my study group so that we could quiz, each other and gain other perspectives when understanding the material. Even though sometimes there are a lot of echos to get through and that does take the most out of my time, I definitely benefit from listening to the class lecture again. This junior year was very difficult but I also enjoyed all the interactions I had with my patients. I think the thing that I need to work on the most is better calculus detection and time management. I sometimes get overwhelmed with the time constraint especially if my patient needs BW or a full mouth period chart so gaining more confidence that I know what I’m doing will also benefit me. Overall, I enjoyed this junior year and have gained a better understanding of what is expected of a dental hygienist but realize that I still need much more work and education.
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