Wednesday 31st August - First Day of Patients

Yesterday i went to work and had to shadow one of the senior dentists, Regart. He was surprised that Ammit couldnt get my surgery left handed on Monday so he said he would have a go at turning the surgery around for me, which he did successfully. At last, i have a left handed surgery!...so i thought...

The day was long and boring and made me feel like i was a student again doing work experience at a practice where all you can do is watch and not do any thing yourself. The waiting list here at Hervey Bay is 9 and half years to be seen fora routine examination! They say that if you get someone off the waiting list, you are to carry out whatever treatment they require, no matter how expensive, just because they have been waiting so long. I find it quite backward in that if we want a special type of x ray, we have to refer the pt out somewhere else to then come back at a later date to review the x ray, to then come up with a treatment plan so that finally on the 3rd visit some form of treatment can be started. Why not just get an OPG machine on site and cut the three appts into one? ...oh well ill just go with the flow! When i got home yesterday evening, Gaz had prepared a meal and we enjoyed some episodes of the inbetweeners that he has managed to download. I was starting to feel more and more nervous about my first day in work with patients.

Outside was a thunder and lightening storm which Gaz and I watched from the balcony. The lightning strikes were very impressive and kept on coming for about half an hour.


Today i woke up and headed to work early as i wanted a chance to play about with the cair and get used to my surroundings. I wasnt prepared for what happened next...
I entered my surgery to find the head nurse going mental about something. I could sense the tension as i approached the doorway and asked if everything was alright. "No not really," The head nurse began...."Im really angry that the room was changed behind my back to left handed when i was away yesterday, especially when Monday you said you were alright with it as right handed." I scanned the room and saw the nurse had already changed the equipment back to right handed. Can i just point out that they tried to make it left handed on monday but said the chair wouldnt change to a left handed...being new and not wanting to cause a scene, i said i would just have to put up with it....but knowing now the chair actually does go 100% left handed...i dont see why i cant have the left handed surgery i was promised before i signed up for the job?! I pointed out that we didn't do it behind her back as she was stating, she had got the wrong end of the stick. She said it as though I had personally set out to stab her in the back? She said the room isnt a left handed room as all the nurses units would still be on the side for a right handed unit and it would be more work for the nurse to have to keep popping back and for to get stuff. This is ridiculous though as the nurse has a portable cart she puts all the stuff she needs on at the beginning of the treatment any way and all mixing is done on that cart. I was in shock at how i had just been spoken to and just shrugged it off saying ok whatever i didnt realise it would cause problems, just leave it as it is then and ill see how i get on. The head nurse stormed off and i was a bit upset that i had just been spoken to like that. I tried the right handed surgery for the day but i must be honest, it was less than satisfactory. I had to keep leaning over the pt to grab things off my dental cart with my left hand, the cart was positioned right on top of the pt to allow the drills to extend over to the left hand side and the more i thought about it, the more it thought hang on, where am i going to stand for taking impressions and taking out teeth...im going to have to adapt a lot if im to keep the surgery right handed. Gareth was fuming at lunch time that i had been dictated to by a nurse...even if she IS head nurse, she shouldnt be telling me how to run my surgery. In the afternoon i spoke to the senior dentist who is in charge of me, Regart. He is also left handed but 'copes' with a right handed unit. He said if he had it his way, the surgery would be left handed for me " but you must know that the dentists are not in charge around here" he said shaking his head. This head nurse is in charge by the sounds of it! Regart said he would ask the clinical director (who is also a dentist) what should be done with the room. I dont know what the directors answer was but at 4pm i was sitting in the common room and the head nurse stormed past me...she looked as though she had been crying so i know it was to do with me. Regart approached me at the end of the day but the room was crowded so he said "ill have to have a word with you tomorrow about the surgery."
I have gone through the emotions about the whole situation...this morning i was upset about how i was spoken to and now im just angry that i have been promised a left handed surgery...an im IN a left handed surgery but one arsey nurse isnt letting it be anyone elses way other than hers!