We Survived!

Ok, so boards are over and think we all survived!  What a week!  I was the worst mother this week.  My nerves were riding so close to the surface that I snapped at the slightest misdeed by my children.  I also had so many plans to accomplish things around my house and projects for school, but very few of them happened.  Thursday finally came to take the Local Anesthesia Clinical Board.  My peer pal was my patient.  I realize I should have just used Kristie from the very beginning.  I had done injections on her so many times during the fall and knew her landmarks well, but I didn't use her.  I had used my peer pal for mock boards.  I failed the PSA for mock boards because I was too far posterior.  Well, for real boards, I did the PSA on the right instead of the left like mock board.  I had never given the PSA on her right side.  Her maxillary tuberosity was HUGE!  I could have sworn that I was right by her distal buccal root of the 2nd molar, but I hit osseous 3 times, meaning that I failed the PSA.  So crappy!  But Kristie was my back up and I nailed the PSA the second time.  $120 later I had passed the Local Anesthesia Clinical Board.

Saturday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) was my Hygiene Clinical Board.  I was allowed into the clinic at 11:45.  I immediately got my patient on the Chief Examiner's form to get her back to the examiners.  She was taken back, but didn't return to me for around 40 minutes.  I expected being the first to have my patient go back that she would back to me faster.  Karlie's patient came back sooner than mine, which freaked me out because it made me feel that mine wasn't going to be accepted.  Panic ensued!  A few minutes later she came around the corner.  Now the panic could start because I need to do my very best.  Well, I proceeded to make some time consuming mistakes.  I didn't check out the tray when she brought it back.  I didn't have my pen barriered for recording my probe readings.  I waited until I had 12 minutes left to probe.  I felt like the first hour went swimmingly.  The last hour FLEW!  I couldn't believe how fast that time went.  It felt like one minute I had an hour, the next I had 12 minutes left.  I really started to scramble at the end.  Every time I would explorer around her teeth I would feel a slight roughness that I just couldn't remove.  But time was up so I had to go with it.  While using indirect vision, my hand was shaking horribly while probing!  I know that I did the very best that I could, but I did get her to check out 1 minute late.  Not the end of the world unless I score a 75 and then still miss that 1 point.  I felt really good yesterday when I came home.  I felt utter relief at being done.  I don't know how to feel about the job I did other than I did my best.  Some of the other girls were saying that the examiners only select 8 spots not 12.  I would be absolutely relieved if that is true.  I will ask Alexander tomorrow in class.  I really should have tried harder with my sequencing.  I felt like I just kind of went all over in my quadrant.  I should have started anteriors and worked my way distal.  SEQUENCING!  So important for time saving.  I just hope that what I did was sufficient and pray that none of us have to relive that experience!  We are done girls!  And WE SURVIVED!