STUDENT INTERNSHIP

MIDTERM AND FINAL

EXAM
PRESENTED BY: PRECIOUS GALANG
DENTAL ASSISTING 2015-2016
INTERNSHIP COMPLETED AT: ELITE FAMILY DENTAL

ELITE FAMILY DENTAL: WORK

ENVIRONMENT
The overall work environment is clean and comfortable.
All the rooms are sterilized after each patient, as it should be.
Each bathroom available in the office is clean.
The office is mopped throughout the duration of the day or at the end of the day.
The lab is extremely clean and well managed. Every instrument handled carefully
and well sterilized and stored.
The lobby of the office is clean and all the magazines are well organized in the
room.

ELITE FAMILY DENTAL: TYPICAL DAY

A typical day in the office includes:

Walking in the office at 9:00 a.m. and greet everyone.

Tying up my hair, washing my hands, and putting on the office jacket.

When a patient walks in, they must update their personal information if they are a returning patient or
complete paper work if they are a new patient.

After the patients paperwork is completed, their routing slip is placed in a box.

When there is a routing slip in the box, we are responsible for taking the slip and placing it in a room.

When the room is chosen, depending on the purpose of their appointment, we are also responsible of
preparing the room for the procedure. We must retrieve the materials in the room and in the lab. The
disposable instruments are in the rooms and most of the instruments that must be sterilized after a
procedure are in the lab.

For example: If a patient is at the office for a cleaning, we are responsible for taking out the proper instruments
and setting them on the counters. These instruments are unused and/or sterilized.

ELITE FAMILY DENTAL: TYPICAL DAY

After the room is properly prepared for the patients procedure, we walk to the lobby and escort them to
their assigned room.

Once the patient is seated, I introduce myself if I havent already and tell them what they should expect
out of this appointment.

After putting on gloves, I will take their blood pressure if they are 21 or older and prepare for x-rays, since
I am not old enough to actually take them.

Depending on the procedure, I am shadowing or assisting.

For example: If the procedure is seating a crown, root canal, or any other major procedure, I will shadow the dentist
and the assistant. If the procedure is an adult prophylaxis, restoration, or child prophylaxis, I will be assisting.

When the procedure is completed and the patient has left, I will break down the room which includes:
throwing all the disposable instruments away, collecting all of the instruments to be sterilized on a tray,
throwing away all of the surface barriers, and once everything has been removed form the room, I will
wipe down all of the surfaces and items on the counters (cotton rolls, floor dispenser, mircobrushes, etc.).

ELITE FAMILY DENTAL: TYPICAL DAY

Back in the lab, I will clean and sterilize the instruments and prepare them for the autoclave.

I will then replace all of the surface barriers, bring out a paper tray onto the counter, and place a
patient bib over it.

This process is repeated for every patient that is seated.

Have lunch at 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Then go back to work, repeating the same routine stated earlier.

Every time I walk in or out of a room, I change my gloves to a new pair.

If there are no patients, we pack and store the instruments in the lab cabinets for future
procedures and there are organized by procedure.

For example: Only composite restoration instruments are packed together, composite restoration
instruments would not be packed with instruments for root canal treatments.

Remove jacket and leave the office at 4:00 p.m.

ELITE FAMILY DENTAL: HEALTH AND SAFETY

ISSUES
Infectious hazards

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens like HIV and Hepatitis B

Exposure to other peoples bodily fluids

Physical hazards

Risk of getting harmed with instruments

TECHNOLOGY USED IN THE OFFICE

To schedule appointments and insert all digital information for patients is Genesis
Philips Zoom whitening
X-ray machine
The dental chairs
The autoclave

THE IMPACT
Having a dental office promotes oral health care and allows for the public to take
care of their teeth and get check ups if needed.

INTERNSHIP SKILLS

The academic skills necessary at the workplace include:

Professional Presentation

Content Knowledge

Communication

Three most important responsibilities:

Keeping hands clean and safe from infections

Providing a comfortable environment for the patients

Providing safe and successful healthcare for patients

Having experience with presenting, communication, and specific tasks in the Dental program at
SWCTA made it easier to handle all of these responsibilities.

INTERNSHIP SKILLS

I needed to be able to communicate to the patients. I also needed to complete cleanings

which we learned in class, so I used these skills as well. In the instance where I had to
seat patients, that is when Id display my communication skills.

I had to observe when I was shadowing a more serious procedure.

Working in the dental office means that youll be exposed to blood, which is something I
had to get over because I dislike the sight of blood.

INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES

The assistants were always available when I needed help with something and always
offered their help to me always.

They also provided me with the necessary equipment to do my jobs like: gloves, face
masks, and scrub jackets.

They way information is flowed throughout the office starts at the reception desk to the
assistants and hygienist, to the dentist and back to the reception desk when the
appointment is over.

INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES

There really isnt something that I would change about my job because it was really
efficient and the process in the office was organized. Everything always flowed smoothly
and ran into minimal problems.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

My most enjoyable experience while working in the office is the ability to work with the
patients and provide them with new knowledge about the importance of oral care. Every
time a patient walked in, I looked forward to finding out why they were at the office and
finding out how we could help them feel better.

I was able to observe many procedures in the office. To enhance my experience, I wished I
was given the opportunity to do more hands on work.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

The most interesting situation Ive encountered, it quite funny actually, is a boy about 7
years old walked in and he barely spoke English. He needed x-rays done, but his parents
neglected to inform us that he had a sensitive gag reflex. So while we were taking the xrays, he threw up because the sensor was too large for his mouth. The entire room was
sanitized.

I had to overcome my fear of blood.

For sure, this experience had supported my career choice and only makes me want to
pursue this career even more. Im looking forward to expanding my knowledge and
becoming more experienced with this profession.