Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of my information and just the PowerPoint as a whole because I think it really came together. On top of that, the class let me know that my presentation was in fact fairly informative and that I seemed to understand my content.

2. a) What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a P.

    b) Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I believe I filled all requirements for "P" consideration, made sure to engage my audience when I spoke, used my time effectively, had a decent PowerPoint, and applied my research well.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

My PowerPoint and visual aid overall was good, in my opinion. Also I feel like my information was presented well.

4. What didn't work? What would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

The main problem I had today that I would fix if I knew how is my shakiness. I came off as nervous to the class so some parts of my presentation may have been difficult to understand. Also, my peers tell me I should work on my activity and create a better one so I would definitely fix that.

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

My answer two will probably involve either patient compliance or practice setting.

Blog 12: Mentorship Hours

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am doing my mentorship at the office of Dr. Dan Banh DDS.

2. Who is your contact?

My contact is Irene (whose last name I always forget). She is the office manager and works the front desk. She can be contacted at the office phone number: (626) 339-5111.

3. How many total hours have you done?

As shown on my Senior Project Hours Log, I have completed 43 hours over the summer (with a different mentor for a different topic), 25 hours of mentorship, and 28 hours for my Independent component. The sum of those hours is 96 hours, but with my current mentor I completed 53 hours.

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

The hours I completed since the school year began have consisted of filing, shadowing, and seeing what goes on away from the patient's chair. There were many opportunities to see all sorts of orthodontic appliances, as well as the process of attaching, wearing, and removing braces. My time at my mentorship has taught me that there is much more to orthodontics than what I had originally thought and I have so much more to learn.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

The break gave me a chance to do more research on my topic, as well as look further into orthodontics as a career. Sadly, I was very limited on my research sources because my primary database -- ProQuest -- has been down for a while.

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what you learned?

My work over the break has taught me that I need a new approach with my research. The source of this knowledge was my previous research and similar results coming up when I looked for new articles. I know there is more fresh research available, but I just need the right keywords to find them.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

I think I might ask an orthodontist other than my current mentor in order to gain a different perspective on orthodontics and my essential question. My final answers will be more complete after speaking with multiple practicing professionals in the field.

2014 in Perspective: A Review of Findings

About four months. That's how long I have been researching for my senior project topic. The question I have been trying to answer is, What is the most important factor an orthodontist must consider when treating a patient?

Perhaps my research was merely focused on just one answer, but I find that appliances play a large role in orthodontic treatment. Appliances used by practicing orthodontists include braces, headgear, palatal expanders, and retainers. As I have mentioned in previous posts, such appliances will correct bites and tooth alignment, or do all sorts of other miraculous things to get treatment done. (Proper planning and judgement is necessary to get the right appliance into a patient's mouth, of course, so it isn't as if the orthodontist is being forgotten.)

Basically, orthodontic appliances ARE the treatment and it would be very hard to get much of anything done without them. Combined with an orthodontist's experience and knowledge, appliances are powerful.

I hope that the new year brings forth many other revelations that will help me with my senior project. Happy 2015.

Learning New Things

The more time passes, the more things I get to do around the office. I have been trained to use an autoclave sterilizer, observed the making of molds using alginate (pictured below), and observed the use of many different appliances.

Alginate + water mix

Finished alginate mold. The powder turns purple
when wet and returns to white as it dries.

Two of the appliances I got to see were TADS (temporary anchorage devices) and something called a Powerscope. The Powerscope is a device used to correct class II malocclusion (overbite) and it serves as a semi-permanent rubber band. The appliance attaches to the patient's wires and uses 260 grams of force (using the spring inside) to fix the bite. Supposedly the appliance also reduces treatment time and reduces costs.

So far, the appliances and the amazing things they do are the most interesting thing about orthodontics and there are so many more that I would like to learn about.

EQ

1. I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2. Review the following EQs and tell us if each meets the rule of three and why they do or don't.

a) What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

The wording is clear, it provides a framework for studies and research, and the question is not a list of facts. However, this EQ does not completely follow the rule of three; the student should be more specific about the means by which a person would be losing weight. The most important factor could be different for daily exercise 

b) What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

This EQ does follow the rule of three; it  specific, allows the student to argue for his position, and is not a yes/no question.

c) What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

 This EQ does not follow the rule of three. The question is too broad.

d) How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

This EQ does not follow the rule of three. While the question mentions specific elements such as anesthesiologist and chronic pain, it seems too broad. At the same time it seems like the question limits research to just treatment options for chronic pain (which could be caused by a number of conditions).

3. Working EQ: What is the most important factor an orthodontist must consider when        
    treating a patient?

Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 1 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of the way I presented. People seemed to be very attentive and engaged by my first lesson, and some of my peers have told me that they learned a few new things from what I had to say. It is very rewarding to know that I have effectively informed people about my topic.

2.  Questions to consider:

a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 1 Presentation (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a P on this presentation.

b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 1 component contract. 

I met all of the requirements for "P" consideration and I believe I had no concerns with Professionalism or Justification of Foundation. It went so well, I can safely say I did a good job.

 3. What worked for you in Lesson 1?

Speaking loudly and clearly worked well. I was supposed to do that, anyway, but it really helped to keep the whole class's attention. Having many visuals was also great, since my audience got to see what I was talking about and hopefully understand it better. Visuals also kept me on track. I also feel it was helpful to be entertaining while trying to be as professional as possible. Getting the audience laughing here and there kept them interested in what I had to say; orthodontics can be pretty boring without jokes thrown in.

 4. If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 1?

Toward the end of my presentation, I started to speak more quickly in the interest of time. Next time (or if I could do it again), I would definitely slow down so I don't lose my audience in my haste.