Graduation!

     On Friday April 20, 2012 I graduated from Weber State University's Dental Hygiene Program.  I can't believe the two years of the program are over.  It all went so fast.  I had great professors who prepared me to work in a dental office as a dental hygienist.  Now I just get to find a job!  Here are some pictures of the big day. 

Outside the Dee Events Center

The College of Health Professions Graduating Class

The Dean said there were over 900 graduating from the College of Health Professions!

Top: Whitnee, Kayla Whitney, and Adrienne Warner

Bottom: Karlie Nichols, Sam Lindeman, and Ashley Nelson

All Graduated!

David and Whitnee

Thanks for all your support Babe!  I couldn't have made it through the past two years without you.

Riley, Whitnee, Mom and Dad

Thanks for all the support you guys gave me while going to college and especially while I was in the dental hygiene program!



I Can Do Hard Things

     Now that I have completed the dental hygiene program I have learned that I can do really hard things.  The past two years in the dental hygiene program have probably been the hardest years of my life so far.  Some days in clinic I just wanted to give up.  I feel like I had a lot of no-show patients and last minute cancellations but even with all the frustrations of finding patients and having to count on someone who you don't know at all I was able to complete all my requirements both junior and senior year.  I'm grateful that everything works out, just like the instructors always tell us they will. 
     The last month and a half of clinic I really felt like everything clicked for me.  I felt more confident about going out into the real world and practicing dental hygiene in a dental office.  I even started to get really excited to be done with school and move on to a real job.  Now I just have to find that "real job."
     As I have gone through all my stacks of paperwork and power points of all the information we covered in the dental hygiene program, I have realized how much I learned during the past two years.  I know that I don't remeber everything but I feel like I remember the majority of it.  I'm grateful for the great professors that teach dental hygiene at Weber State.  You prepared me so well for the national board exam and for the dental hygine profession. 
     Thanks to all my classmates I was able to make it through everything.  I loved that the Class of 2012 was so united.  We all wanted to help everyone succeed and help everyone in the class feel welcome.  I'm glad it took me four tries to get into the dental hygiene program because I got to go through it all with you.  I will miss all you girls! 
     Graduation is tomorrow and I can't believe it is finally here.  I never thought I would finally be graduated from college.  I think I will miss school a little bit but I'm sure I will be able to find something else to fill my time with.  Thanks for all the memories and I look forward to creating more tomorrow at graduation!   

Requirements DONE!

     After a day of late arrivals and last minute cancellations from my patients I have all my clinical requirements complete!  It feels great.  I just wish that today was my last day in clinic but I have to come Friday since my VA group is short a clinic day.  I really wish it didn't matter I was short a clinic day.  Oh well, once last thing and then GRADUATION! 
     Last night was the Welcome Night for the class of 2014.  It felt so good to be sitting in the auditorium as a senior.  I can't believe that just two short years ago I was there as one of the new people.  I didn't know anyone and felt really awkward.  Last night I was surrounded by 29 other seniors who I have come to love and respect.  After the meeting it was a lot of fun to sit together and eat and just chat.  I love when we are all talking and laughing together.  As excited as I am for graduation and to be done with school, FOR-EV-ER!, I will miss all you girls a TON!!!  Thanks for all the support you gave me and all the memories we made together! 

A Day of Class 3 Patients

     Yesterday was a very tiring day.  I still needed 11 quads of a class 3 patient.  I had 5 quads scheduled yesterday and was planning on just getting as much done as I could.  My day in clinic went differently than I had planned, but it all worked out for the best. 
     At 8:00 I had a class 3 patient coming back that needed to have 2 quads finished.  Michelle ended up coming to clinic to make up for a day. She had a class 3 patient that still had 3 quads that needed to be cleaned.  Michelle only needed one more quad to finish her requirements so she was kind enough to offer the other 2 quads to me.  That really pushed me to finish the 2 quads on my patient so I could hop over to the other chair and finish Michelle's patient.  The timing was B-E-A-utiful!  I was able to finish Michelle's patient, which dropped me down to  needing 7 quads of a class 3.  A little more manageable. 
     Heather had seen a class 3/4 patient last week and was kind enough to reschedule him to come back this week for me.  I wasn't really looking forward to seeing him because she said his calculus was so hard but beggers can't be choosers at this point in the semester.  He ended up cancelling his appointment right before lunch.  I wasn't really too disappointed but slightly stressed about my requirements now. 
     Kayla had a patient coming in at 1:00 that she was pretty sure would be a class 3 and since she already had her requirements she gave me the patient.  When I pulled his chart I noticed that he hadn't been in in about 4 years and they had mentioned in his chart that he was going to have artificial heart valves placed soon.  That means he needed to have pre-med which I found out he didn't know about before the appointment.  I eneded up waiting until 2:00 to receive a physician's consult back and then had to release him because it would be 3:00 before I could even do anything on him. 
     What a waste of an afternoon...not completely.  While I was wondering around waiting for the physician's consult Marilyn called me into the instructors pod and asked if I had seen any class 2 patients during the semester that we could possibly bump their classification to class 3.  I logged into Taleval and started checking.  I found one of my mockboard patients that was classified as a class 2 but was extremely difficult.  I had to bring him in 3 times to finish everything on him.  Marilyn pulled up his x-rays while I went and got his chart.  As soon as she opened the x-rays she said, "He is a class 3!"  She looked at the probe depths and ended up changing his classification to 4 quads of a class 3.  YES!  That meant I only needed 3 more quads of a class 3. 
     My board patient was waiting in the waiting room for his wife so I decided to go out and see if he wanted me to clean the rest of his mouth since I didn't have anything else to do for the next hour and a half.  He agreed.  I brought him back and took the chart to Marilyn to review and sign.  He was classified as a class 2 but she checked his probe depths, recession, and x-rays and changed his classification to a class 3 patient!  It was my lucky day!  I was able to finish 2 quads on him and am planning on bringing him back to finish the last quad.  That means I will have my class 3 requirements finished!