u/CommercialFar5069

Im a current second year student about to graduate dental hygiene school in the midwest. My school used to have a second year mentor program where a second year mentors a first year, but they got rid of it my second year! I was so bummed I didn't get to have a little mentee. Sooo here's a list of advice to the whole first year class that will be going into their summer semester and then their second year. I hope this finds you guys. (I'll put the school name in after I actually graduate.)

Clinic advice

1. Fill your schedule with people you know as much as you can. They're more likely to show up for you.
2. DONT WORRY ABOUT BOARDS YET. Start focusing on boards after the fall semester.
3. BUT, take your local anesthesia board right after summer semester. It's an easy board.
4. Focus on competencies and get them done as soon as you can. Once you finish all the competencies, all you have to focus on is the appointment itself.
5. Don't worry if you get an SRP. Yes, their initial SRP will take several appointments, but their tissue evaluation should only take one, and their three month recare appointments should only take one as well.
6. Try to get perio maintenance patients to continue coming back. More frequent appointments = more patients you can add to patient count. By my spring clinic second year, at least half of my patient count came from perio maintenances.
7. Don't be afraid to do comps. Many of them are either repeats or really easy and they just seem really hard.
8. Listen to all the professors' advice. Instrumentation, fulcrum, wrist movements, ergonomics, radiography, diagnosing. Listen to everything, it will make you a stronger and faster hygienist.
9. Check your clinic schedule as often as you can.
10. Take advantage of the allowed amount of pediatric and student patients. Those are basically free passes.
11. Practice exploring! Getting really good at exploring is the KEY to making sure you pass a patient. Requirements to pass a patient get stricter every semester.
12. Find the instruments you like and are most comfortable with.
13. The whole class is a TEAM. Help each other out. Dental hygiene school is really hard, but it's easier with classmates who help lift each other up.
14. Trust the process. Dental hygiene school is a rollercoaster. You will make it as long as you give it your all and trust the process.