Raya Alghabban

                                                             Faculty Guided Patient Appointment Reflection

    “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can do it”. I started by saying these words during my first patient appointment. My patient is a middle-aged female, who is my partner’s mom. I started the appointment by reviewing the medical and dental history with the patient and taking her vital signs. During the medical and dental history, I was able to ask my patient open-ended questions to collect as much information as possible before we started treatment. I tried to pay close attention to what the patient was saying, and I used follow-up questions to gather comprehensive information. I assured to maintain patient confidentiality as this fosters trust and encourages openness during medical and dental history. After I finished taking the vital signs, I called the faculty over to get a start check. The faculty guided me on how to add new medications on Axium and adjust dosages. The faculty was very encouraging and gave me a lot of tips before continuing with the appointment. 

   My partner then followed by doing the extra/intra-oral examination. I learned that things that may seem normal to me such as Linea alba on the buccal mucosa still need to be noted as part of the documentation process. I helped my partner with periodontal charting, noting bleeding upon probing sites, FGM, mobility, furcation, and with calculus detection. After that, we needed to present odontogram findings to our faculty, and I felt like I needed more practice to improve my skills presenting ondogram findings especially when I added (GV blacks’ classification, and restorations) in Axium. We were not able to get to the second part of the appointment with the prophy, but I am sure we will be able to get better and faster eventually over time. 

   Overall, although the appointment took four hours, the patient was comfortable and happy. I did not face any difficulties on this appointment. It was great and I learned a lot of new things from my faculty, and I will be using this knowledge to refine my skills over time.

 Assignment 4

                      Faculty-guided Patient Appointment Reflection Session 2

   It was my faculty-guided patient experience that provided me with so much motivation. Several factors played a role in the success of my appointment, including the patient's confidence and trust. I began taking normal vital signs, and then I started checking the intra/oral exam and the result which was the same as the last visit. faculty rechecked all results and gave me the confidence to proceed with the procedure. After that, I began to follow the treatment placed in the plaque index to point out the calculus and record it in the chart, the faculty continued to give advice and helped me add the right finding to Axium. 

   My classmate began with a new session, educated the patient on oral hygiene instruction, and then began to scaling the calculus finding the upper and lower right side (UR, LR) using the instruments, including the Barnhart 5/6, Gracey 1/2 and 13/14, Nevi 3.  The faculty also checked all the scaling and gave her useful advice on the scaler and how to work in the right place on the instruments, I ended up scaling on the left side with the same instruments, but I didn't use Gracey, I used Barnhart 5/6 and Nevi 1.3. I faced an issue with scaling the crowns because the patient wears four crowns and I had some challenges scaling under the crowns without causing pain to the patient or her teeth. The faculty helped me enter all the information into Axium, such as the periodontal assessment section, x-rays, and the records of the results. During the polishing, which was the last stage of the treatments, I felt very confident and the patient was satisfied because the process went without problems, the classmate finished the fluoride with the advice of the faculty as the last step. The patient left the clinic very happy and comfortable with our work.

   At the end of the appointment, I felt the process was considered easy. There were no problems with admission and the faculty played an important role for us to follow the procedure easily. This experience when it is done I felt very content and eager to learn more and push myself because every patient is different.

                   11/21/2024

                                                                                 Reflection on your OSCE experience

       The OSCE was a valuable learning experience that provided insights into my clinical strengths and areas for improvement. One of the most significant things I learned was the importance of clear communication and structured patient interaction. While I had been practicing clinical skills in class, the OSCE highlighted the need to combine technical proficiency with effective patient relations and time management.  Before the OSCE, I felt nervous and afraid of the exam. That empowered me to believe I can do this by gathering patient information. However, I tried practicing to improve my clinical skills. For example, feedback revealed that I sometimes asked sufficiently open-ended questions and how patients responded. Despite this, I will refine my questioning techniques to gather comprehensive and accurate information.

   One aspect I did well during the OSCE was my ability to perform the clinical procedures accurately and efficiently. I felt confident in my technical skills, such as taking vital signs, entering the information I took from the patient and adding it to the Axium site, performing intraoral assessments, and performing high-risk assessments and instrumentation like prob technique. Additionally, I received positive feedback on nonverbal communication, such as maintaining eye contact and reassuring body language, which helped build trust with the patient. This experience has directly impacted on my "real-life" clinical skills. It reinforced the importance of balancing technical expertise with patient-centered care. For example, I now understand the value of explaining procedures simply and checking for patient understanding throughout the interaction. These adjustments will enhance the quality of care I provide in natural clinical settings.

   Overall, the OSCE experience has been instrumental in helping me grow as a hygienist. It challenged me to think critically under pressure and adapt to various scenarios. I am motivated to continue improving my communication, organization, and ability to integrate feedback, ensuring I provide the best possible care to my future patients.