LEADER IN THE FIELD

I'm sure your wondering why I placed a picture of myself on this blog. The reason behind it is to show my smile and more importantly my teeth. I am very interested in becoming a certified Dental Hygienist. That being said my leader in the field assignment consisted of interviewing my dental hygienist Samantha Wood. Recently we had got to know each other quiet well being that I did my 40 hours of shadowing with her and then I decided that she would be the perfect person for me to interview.
Samantha started college in the spring of 1996. At the time she had a newborn baby and found that to provide for her child, and future family she needed a stable income. Samantha completed all her prerequirements for the Dental Hygiene program at OU. During this time she unplanningly found herself pregnant again with her second child, which put a setback on her schooling. With having to stay home and take care of a toddler and infant, Samantha and her husband were living tightly on 1 income. Samantha was finally able to get help with her to young daughters from family and apply to the Dental Hygiene program in December 1999 for the fall semester of 2000. Luckily she recieved a letter in the mail asking for her to come in for an interview. While in the interview Samantha vividly remembers the doubt in the panel of instructors and directors of how she could possibly be able to raise two very young children and go to school full time. With the doubt in so many people she set out to prove them all wrong. While in Dental Hygiene school Samantha was unable to work being that school and her children took up all her time which she was extremely devoted to. Samantha graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2002 with a Bathelors of Sciences in Dental Hygiene. She currently works for a phenomenal dentist, Dr. Neifeh on 122nd and Penn. She is now divorced and has 3 girls. Her job duties include but are not limited to most importantly cleaning teeth, taking x-rays, keeping patients records, teaching appropriate dental hygiene, and making visual assessments. When asked what she enjoyed most about her job, Samantha responded "Building a relationship with all her patients." She says that it is a blessing to come to work everyday and adores her co-workers. She works 7:30 am- 4 pm Mon-Thurs and 7:30 am until noon on Friday.
Overall, I found this interview and visual of my surroundings to be a very big eye opener. It got me wondering if this is really the field for me, to appreciate the people who dedicate their lives to it and all the time that goes in to the education and continual learning of a certified Dental Hygienist.