clinical experience?

[Kneecoal]

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the application for my school's committee letter has a section where you are supposed to state any clinical experience you've had. i shadowed an orthodontist for a semester, but she also let me take impressions/pour molds/change alastics/change and fit some wires.

i was always scared to change the alastics and fit the wires because i was only 19 and obviously didn't have any kind of certificate (i could tell one old guy with braces was like "WHAT is she doing working on me??")

so, question is, do i mention that i changed alastics and wires? i'm afraid that was illegal. then do i just mention that i took impressions and poured molds?

 

[doc toothache]

so, question is, do i mention that i changed alastics and wires? i'm afraid that was illegal. then do i just mention that i took impressions and poured molds?

By all means. That is certain to impress adcoms.

 

[Kneecoal]

By all means. That is certain to impress adcoms.

interesting. do you think it's something i could/should put into my ps?

 

[Contach]

By all means. That is certain to impress adcoms.

lol.. you are so mean... (if I understood your connotative meaning correctly)

woohhoo! post 1000. If only I had as many mean things to say as doc toothache does I would get to 2000 in no time at all!!

 

[BillytheEchidna]

I don't think it is illegal to change elastics (with an "e") and wires. The techs that my orthodontist employed were quite young and only had high school educations. But I would use language like "assisted the orthodontist" instead of "changed wires and elastics" to avoid shining a beacon into any gray areas. That's some pretty cool experience to have!

 

[Kneecoal]

lol.. you are so mean... (if I understood your connotative meaning correctly)

woohhoo! post 1000. If only I had as many mean things to say as doc toothache does I would get to 2000 in no time at all!!

care to explain? i really don't enjoy feeling like a fool.

 

[Kneecoal]

elastics (with an "e")

sorry, dude. it's alastics.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

sorry, dude. it's alastics.

My humble apologies, dude. I didn't realize it was a trademark or something cute like that. Humble pie ala-mode. Mmmm!

Apparently, it is orthodontic slang that relates to their historical chemical composition. Those crazy orthodontists and their slang!

 

[rewJW]

DEFINITELY check with your state regulations, as in my state (New Jersey) it IS illegal to do most of the procedures you mentioned (e.g. change ties & wires, take impressions) unless you are an RDA. You don't want to start off by reporting you did something illegal, especially given that d-schools care a lot about your moral character.

 

[karrotcake]

yeah, i know for california there's a good website that shows the allowed duties of a dental asst, RDA, RDH, etc. so check online for your state.

 

[Hysteria24]

yeah, i know for california there's a good website that shows the allowed duties of a dental asst, RDA, RDH, etc. so check online for your state.

http://www.comda.ca.gov/formspubs/pub_permitted_duties.pdf

 

[doc toothache]

interesting. do you think it's something i could/should put into my ps?

The more mundane reference should be about what procedures you witnessed during shadowing and what, if any, impact they had on you, but certainly not a laundry list of what color alastics, what size wire or what brand of distal end cutter you used.

lol.. you are so mean...

woohhoo! post 1000. If only I had as many mean things to say as doc toothache does I would get to 2000 in no time at all!!

Is it a question of degree of meanness that is lacking or having the experience to make a contribution? In either case if you are bucking for 2K posts it is not too late to start especially with the meanness factor.