During the first year of Dental Hygiene school I believe that all students should be aware that they are being evaluated. This ensures that the student has a definite grasp of the instrument and how and why it is used. The second year students however, should know the fundamental and be able to preform the proper techniques without a doubt. If not remediation is needed, and fast!
Although instrument competencies are nerve wracking, I do believe some instrument competencies should be performed more than once. Instruments like the explorer and the probe are very important for the hygienist to know like the back of their hand. We must be able to detect calculus and measure proper sulcus and pocket depths when evaluating a patient. Instruments that I believe can be conducted once and done, are the universals, gracies and sickles. If the student is proficient in detecting calculus, but there is a problem removing it we know that there is a deficiency in their removal skills. This is when I would recommend a second competency using a specific instrument that should target the calculus. When an instructor finds and area of missed calculus, they can ask question like, what instrument would you use to access this area? How do you use it? And, let me see your technique? Not all calculus is easy to remove, this second competency remediation can be a helpful tool to revisit or learn different techniques by the clinic instructor for tenacious calculus.
Students are always going to be nervous, there is no way to get around that. As an instructor the best thing you can do for a student is be approachable. Allow the student to take their time to reduce nerves and shaking. Confidence comes with time. We must be positive and reenforce that clinic is a learning environment, if students didn’t need direction we would be living in Alabama and not in Ohio.
We both mentioned how early on students should know they are being evaluated but later on it really shouldn’t matter! In Alabama the hygiene students don’t have direction????
I just meant that in Alabama they have a good population of Preceptorship trained hygienists, they train on the job under the supervision of their dentist. The education that a student receives attending an accredited Hygiene Program is of no comparison to what they can do and know. We are paying for the best, so we have to cope with a few knuckle cracking, nail biting competencies. Competencies may make students nervous but they also aid in making a great hygienist.
You bring up a good point that certain competencies could be done more than once eg. calculus removal and I agree because that takes some practice to fully feel confident in your skills. And also it depend on how difficult you patient is.
I think a lot of you are in agreement that some competencies should be repeated. I tend to agree with you, especially related to not having to repeat instrument competencies, but repeat a calculus removal competency. Maybe calculus removal isn’t really a “competency” maybe it is just an evaluation that should happen regularly.