December Post

Today I came into the office and I had noticed that there were files all over the place. As I saw this I realized what today was gonna be like. Well I was wrong. I thought that mainly I was going to be filing all day while I was at the dentist but since I stayed so long today, I was only filing for about an hour and a half and the other time I was inside the rooms assisting Dr. Patel. However, I wasn't only filing, i was also putting the files in order to which the patients were coming in to make it easier and faster on everyone because the dentist office was packed because it had been closed for the holidays.
Today was another ordinary day in which all I did was operate the suction machine so Dr. Patel could focus on her part. Overall, the only new things I've been learning are things more in depth about cavities and how to prevent and treat cavities.

EQ

1. I have reviewed the rule of three for writing and EQ.

2a.  No this EQ doesn't meet the rule of three because while it might call for research there not much to argue about it because it doesn't take a stance.

B. Yes this EQ meets the rule of three criteria because it's very clear, and it calls for research and there can be an agreement on different answers.

C. No this EQ doesn't not make much sense, it doesn't call for much research and it call for much research.

D. I don't think this EQ meets the rule of three because it doesn't call for much research or an argument.

3.  What are the most important factors when becoming a profitable dentist?

Kids Day

Today was Tuesday and as every Tuesday, it was kids day which meant a lot of scared kids in the dentist office. In spite of it being a regular Tuesday, today Dr. Patel was hooking up the kids to oxygen tanks because she was working on tartar today. And with tartar, the dentist is scraping off hardened plaque which can be a bit painful so the oxygen tanks would help the kids breath and keep relaxed and their respiration rate normal. This is the reason I had to equip a mask so I don't spread or catch airborne diseases that the patients might or might not have. Also sometimes when Dr. Patel is scraping off the tartar, sometimes you uses a machine and the pieces of plaque can fly around the room. Overall, today was a very peaceful day.

A New Skill at the Dentist

Today when I went to the dentist I started to file the patient files like always but Dr. Patel told me that I was going to do something a bit different. Se taught me how to electronically organize the patients names, insurance, and their payment bills and more. I also was answering the phone while I was doing this. The phone part was pretty simple but the computer part was a bit tougher. After about an hour, I was called by Dr. Patel because she needed help with the patients. She also told me that I should get familiar with all the tools and the tool names so when she asks for a tool I can easily find it and give it to her when she asks for them. I also scheduled my second interview today. Overall, today was a very productive day.

Research and Working EQ

1. What are the steps needed to be taken in order to become a profitable dentist?

2.  EQ. What makes a dentist successful?

• the best way for a dentist to be successful is to obtain a good education by graduating from dental school and applying what he/she has learned into real life situations.
• by building a relationship with his/her patients to help them get to ease so he/she could fix their teeth.
• by learning how to operate using both hands and getting used to working through mirrors.
• taking extra training classes outside of dental school for more practice.

3. The most important source, other than my mentor, is the American Dental Association (ADA). The ADA is an organization that has lots of information about dentistry and also a lot of resources to loo at. This is my strongest source so far.

4. My mentor is Dr. Patel (Doctor of Dental Surgery, DDS) and I am doing my mentorship at the General Dentistry at Montclair. The stuff I am doing at the dentistry and all the stuff I am learning helps me answer my working EQ by giving me real life experience and hands on learning by watching and engaging in more dental activities with the supervision of Dr. Patel.

Blog 7: Independent Compontent 1 Approval

1. I  plan to do my 30 hours at my mentorship place. I am going to do additional mentorship hours for my independent component. During my mentorship and my additional hours for the independent component, I shadow an expert in Dentistry in my field all day helping her out with patients and observing what goes on in a day of a dentist's life. I also do some technical things like filing, organizing patients information in the computers, doing an "inquiry" on a patients history, and more.

2. Too show evidence that I completed my extra hours and what I have learned, I can provide proof though picture and logs.

3. What I am doing will help me go more in depth by getting a chance to view more situations for the patients, get a better and more thorough experience of what a dentist goes through in a normal and abnormal days, and get more used to the environment.

Filing Is Boring!

 

 

When I got to the dentist it was not busy at all. Usually Tuesdays are full of kids running around and it's loud at the dentist but today it was super empty. That meant that Dr. Patel's "actually" dental assistants got priority and got to help her while I was stuck filing.

However, at around 3 o' clock a lot of patients started to come and it got super packed. That meant that Dr. Patel's assistants had to take a patient and I got to go in the dental rooms and watch Dr. Patel pull out a kids tooth. It was gross and neat at the same time. Of all the days I've been at the dentist, I've never seen a kids tooth get pulled out, and it was very cool. The patients name was Fernando and he didn't want to get a shot to numb his gums because he was afraid of needles, which made no sense because without the slightly painful shot, the process would be extra painful and also lengthier. Anyways, eventually, after ten minutes of crying and whining, he agreed to the shot and we took his tooth out. Today was a interesting day.

Second Interview Questions

1.  My mentor is Dr. Patel and she owns a dental clinic in Montclair. She has been open for some time and has a lot of experience and is a great dentist and mentor.

2. Five questions are:

·         Where did you get your dental degree from?

·         How long have you worked as a dentist?

·         What is your highest level of education?

·         Why was your first choice of career dentistry?

·         What about dentistry made you interested in it?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

1. Positive Statement: One very positive thing that has happened because of all the work I have done is that I have become certain that I want to become a dentist. At first, I thought I wanted to become a pharmacist and wanted to do my senior topic on that but when I went to go volunteer at a pharmacy in Chino, I didn't really like what I saw. I just thought it was a little boring and not my thing.  As a result of that, I researched dentistry and I started to like what I was reading. Because of the many hours I have spent at the dentistry training and getting a real feel of a dentist's work environment, I am absolutely certain I want to become a dentist.

2. EQ Content: not only do I want to become a dentist, I also want to specialize in orthodontics, which is the branch of dentistry that specializes on the human jaw. This branch contains braces, retainers, and any mouthpiece that straightens the jaw and teeth. Recently, I have been doing lots of research on orthodontics. I have been using the Internet, the library, and my mentor to learn as much as I can about orthodontics. Orthodontics really has helped me understand dentistry more because it not only covers the basics of dentistry, it digs deep and focuses on straightening your teeth. For example, the articles and books on orthodontics are far more explanatory on dentistry from the basics to the expert level.

3. The main thing that has worked for me in the senior project is that it requires for me to do a specific number of mentorship hours so I have no choice but to go to the dentist. Sometimes I'm a little lazy and want to stay home but I have to go to the dentist which helps me not only learn more new things, but also it helps me get more experience.

4. The thing that hasn't worked for me is that I have a lot of duties to do outside of schools dn sometimes I just don't have time to go to the dentist but I have to figure it out as I go. Another thing is that due to legal concerns I cannot do some of the more hands on things at the dentistry, but since Dr. Patel is my moms friend and knows me so well, she is a bit more trusting towards me and lets me do a couple of things I can't do.

5. What are the key points to consider when buying a dental office?

I already have a mentorship and it is the same one I have had since summer. My mentor is a dentist, Dr. Patel, who I have known for a while.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. I plan to interview one of Dr. Patel's (mentor, Dentist) assistants because of course her assistants are very familiar with dentistry and they did go to dental school and learn all the same things a dentist learns but they are dentist's assistants. I chose Dr. Patel's assistant and not her because I am saving her for the more hard questioned interview and the more time consuming ones.

2. Some open-ended questions I can ask in addition to the 5 assigned questions are:

• What makes a dentist successful?
• What types of relationships do a dentist and his/her dental assistant have? Also what are the duties of a dental assistant?
• What about dentistry would you recommend to a young person looking into dentistry?

Odd Day at The Dentists'

I just came back from the dentist and today, being a Tuesday, was kids day like every Tuesdays. Today was a little different, Dr. Patel accidentally booked a little to many patients and it was a disaster. Firstly, Dr. Patel has 3 operating rooms and 1 x-ray room which she occasionally uses to treat patients. In order to get the patients in and out faster, Dr. Patel treats 2 or 3 patients at a time and has her assistants do the finishing touches such as, clean patients teeth. Normally, kids aren't too bad at the dentist even though almost all kids hate the dentist. However, today there was a cute little girl about 7 or 8 years old who was waiting for Dr. Patel. I was also waiting for her and I started to ask her if she was scared and I kind of became her friend within 10 minutes. Fastfoward 15 minutes, the doctor comes and tries to look inside her mouth and the little girl just starts crying and screaming. This was bad in many ways because not only would the little girl not stop screaming, she was screaming so loud she was scaring all the other kids into thinking the dentist rooms were that bad when in fact it isn't so bad and hardly ever painful. Furthermore, this girl would not even let Dr. Patel look inside her mouth to see if everything was good and she didn't have cavities. Every time, Dr. Patel would try to look into her mouth, the little girl would scream louder and louder. This is where I came in. I had to hold that poor girl down, but not too roughly, and I had never seen a little girl so scared. The worse part was when we came out the room and no kids wanted to go into the dentist rooms. Yet despite the fact that the girl screamed so passionately, the day was pretty quiet.

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

 Due Date:   Friday 8/23 by 8AM
Punit Patel 
Dentistry

1. My topic is Dentistry.

2.  I-Poly Citizen : I plan to be a great I-Poly students by being responsible by coming to school on time every day. I also plan to be helpful by not only attending I-Poly events to raise money for the senior class, but also helping my fellow senior classmates and ASB by helping clean and set up for the events.

Effective Learner : I plan to be an effective learner by being prepared and having all my materials in class the day I need them by putting them in my backpack or car the night before. I also plan to keep up my grades from last year which were all Approaching Exemplary except one, which was proficient. 

Effective User of Technology : I plan to be an effective user of technology by only using my technology for academic things in class such as dictionaries and emails and web pages instead of games and texting. Furthermore, I plan to incorporate technology such as power points in presentations in class.

Effective Communicator : I plan to listen to my peers and what they have to say and communicate properly and with them as well as teachers. I also plan to be an effective communicator by giving everyone a fair ammount to speak without interruptions. 

Blog Assignment # 2 Summer Mentorship

Title:  Summer Mentorship Component
Due Date: Monday, August 19th by 8AM
Punit Patel
Dentistry

Literal

1. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvHSxJ3-1stOdEJiU1h6MklrYmdRQnNMb0FaRkpLc0E#gid=0

2. Rita Patel (909) 624-7222

3.

• How many years of college does it take to become a dentist?

• What are some tips to successfully owning a dental firm?

Interpretive

4. The most important thing I gained from this experience is that it takes hard work and determination and passion to become a successful dentist and to run a dental firm. Because of this experience I am a hundred percent sure I want to pursue this career and I will be ready on my first day of college and dental school.

Applied

5. What I did during my mentorship helped me pick this topic because for one I enjoy this very much and I want to research it and interpretive it more so I know and understand what I am up against. I have no doubts about this topic and about this career.

2013 2-Hour Presentation Reflections

1. The presentations I viewed were:

• Weight Loss - Natalie N. (excused absence)
• Woodworking - Sebastian Y.
• Interior Design - Natalie O.
• Locksmithing - Antonio A.
• Child Life Specialist - Alicia R.
• Clinical Social Work Therapy - Brittany H.
• Healthy Mexican Food - Manuel G.
• Video Game Journalism - Christopher H.
• Firefighting - Saul A. 
• Running a Skateshop - Eric S.
• Political Campaigns - Angel D.
• Animal Control - Cherokee M.
• Physical Fitness - Jocelyn D. 
• Anesthesiology - Zhailah G.

2. After seeing many of the senior presentations, most of my questions have been answered. However, after watching senior presentations and realizing how much time, effort, and practice is put into this, I wonder how long we have to prepare for senior presentations and the affect it has on your overall grade in your core classes.

3. I think that the most important part of the senior project is that your activities are related to your topic and that they actually make sense, you meet time requirements, and you know exactly what you are talking about when you are presenting. 

4. I am considering two very differing topics for my senior project. The first being dentistry because that it the profession I am gearing towards and looking into. The other is weight training being that I enjoy working out and that topic really interests me. I have not decided yet, but after my 10 hours of mentorship at a dentist office, I hope to finally make a decision on a topic of my interest.