Before attending a GPG rotation I got he run down from some of my classmates about what went on in the general practice clinics. Unfortunately I did not get the feedback I was hoping for. Many commented that there was nothing to do and most of the time they ended up back in the dental hygiene clinic assisting a classmate with axium. Especially on Wednesdays when most of the dental students are seeing new patients who need to be screened. When I looked I made rotation schedule I thought, "Great, I have GPG rotation like every Wednesday!"
The first time I went to the GPG clinics it was very overwhelming. Everyone was rushing around preparing for there patients and I had no clue what I was doing. I found some classmates and they told me to look for the dental students with a cavitron set up, those were the people to try and help. So I did just that. I found a D3 that had a patient who was going to need a cleaning and asked if I could help out. Immediately she asked "Would you like to complete the cleaning?" I was relieved that I found something to occupy my time and the many clinic hours of practicing ultrasonic instrumentation would now pay off.
Every time since I have been on my first GPG rotation I have enjoyed it. I always find something to do and have built a great relationship with many of the dental students. An important thing to remember about every rotation is something to do might not always jump at you. You must make it your responsibility to have a purpose there. If you strive to do this it will be a very rewarding experience in the end.
This has ben the most helpful rotation out of all the ones we have scheduled. I have gained so much knowledge about the materials used in dentistry and was given the chance to advance my assisting skills. I also got to perform a cleaning from time to time. The most important opportunity I was given was the opportunity to network with the dental students and some of the faculty. The students were very helpful in explaining concepts I did not understand such as providing rationale for different procedures. The faculty taught me that not 2 practitioners perform the same. They all strive to push you to your highest potential and never want you to limit your options to a single diagnosis or treatment option. Overall this rotation has been a very positive experience and it is what you make of it.
