National Results!

So I took the written national board exam on Thursday March 25 and got my results in the mail on Monday April 5th! Yeah, that is 7 business days! I was totally not expecting them yet. A classmate had taken the exam the Monday before me, and still had not received her results yet. But to my surprise...




this was waiting in the mail box for me! You need a 75% to pass and they break down your score for you section by section and give the total number of questions, your score, and the national average score. The thing to remember about this exam is that some questions are "thrown out" and not counted as part of your score. So you could score roughly a 65% and have that translate into an 85% well... at least that is how it was explained to me. I am not sure if that is exactly the number conversion but you get the drift.

AND NOW...you wait.

The new computerized system still requires some patience. It still takes 7-10 Business days! Trust us, I think half of our class called the WREB office just to check. We were hearing all kinds of different time frames from 48 hours to 4 weeks. But we got our results 6 business days later. That was a LONG six days! If you are anything like us, all of you will check the WREB website at least every hour, and alert each other that nothing is posted. And then, the texts start, the emails, the calls...RESULTS ARE IN! GO CHECK! So you scurry to your husbands lap top and get to WREB, then you freeze. He has to log in for you, lucky he has been checking every hour on the hour too, so he knows your username and password. Then you get to the page that has "Result Info" and you try to click on it, then, you take a deep breath, and you do it. You click. You wait...and then...you see your score and you have to consciously think..."is that higher than 75!?!?" And then you realize...YES it is! You scream, you jump up and down, you scream some more, and then you cry like a little girl. You have done it! You passed! You scream some more and cry too, then your kids come in and ask Daddy, "is Mommy crying because she is sad or happy? Happy!? oh, well if you are going to cry happy tears you should smile, and not scream so much" Oh, maybe that is just me.

Written National

I will start off with my advice for the written national:

1. Take it early. Most of us took it the week after our clinical. Your brain WILL BE FRIED. And you will not be able to focus. You will be anxious about your results.
   


2. Just start reviewing (and in some cases learning for the first time) 1st year material. Really learn it, commit it to memory. There is a LOAD of information, and for some reason RDH's are suppose to know it all.


3. For me there wasn't ONE book that was most helpful. It was a combination of a few. I used the SLCC review book, a DH review book from the WSU library, the Perio book from 1st year, Wilkins, and the case studies from the decks.


4. Give yourself time to review, contemplate, apply, and review again.


5. Look at a lot of different case studies.

The written national board exam is taken at a testing center. The first half of 200 multiple questions is a broad base of questions. You get up to an hour lunch if you choose to take it. Then the second half is all case studies 150 questions. You have plenty of time, so take a break if you need to. The day I took my exam, the testing center was FREEZING, and you are not allowed to wear a coat. So dress in layers. Also, you are not allowed gum while taking the exam, this was a heart breaker for me. So just prepare yourself mentally if you need to.

Let's Dance YOU & I

(So OF COURSE this wasn't my board pt. but REALLY...I kind of can't help but smile and chuckle at this. Sick, sick, sick.)

Here you are: the morning of your WREB clinical exam. You are completely ready to go. Arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes prior to the "clinic entrance" time on your sheet. The clinic entrance time is the time YOU & YOUR PT can enter the clinic for check in. You can take the BP and HHX 1 hour prior to your start time...SO DO! Have your pt. sign all required forms and about 3 minutes after you enter the clinic you sign up with the Chief Examiner for check in. NO need to set up now... you will have plenty of time while you wait. You set up and get the ultrasonic (you rent for $45... ouch!) ready to go.

Now comes the gut wrenching part: PT QUALIFICATION & ACCEPTANCE. This year they went to a new computerized system. My clinic entrance was 7 am. I checked in with the CHIEF at 7:04 I believe...and I was second! Acceptance took well over an hour. Apparently they were having technical difficulties.

But then, here comes my pt....yes, no, yes, no???? YES!!! My first submission was accepted! And away we went. You are given 2 1/2 hours to scale, probe, do an extra & intra exam, and complete all required paper work. This sounds like a lot of time..but trust me...IT FLIES!

As you and your pt sprint to the finish line with 1 minute to spare, you think to yourself...it is done! You have done all you can do. You now go and break down your unit, turn in your packet to the Chief Examiner, and exit the clinic.

Here is my advise for the clinical exam:

1. QUALIFY YOUR OWN PATIENT! The instructors may look at your pt. and give you their opinion. BUT it is ULTIMATELY your responsibility if your pt does or does not qualify. The instructors are doing you a huge favor to give you their professional opinion. But part of the exam is to see if you can qualify a pt on your own.



2. Alternate submission for sure. There is no penalty for submitting an alternate...only if they use it. I suggest adding additional teeth in your first submission. At least 2 and in your alternate 4. We had some pt qualification difficulties, and I think more is better. However, there is a fine line of enough qualifying surfaces, and too much work for you.
   


3. Make sure your x-rays are perfect. Take them well in advance, and make sure every contact in your quad is open in at least one film.


4. Look at occlusion prior to the exam day if possible. Occlusion classifications can be tricky and it is one of the first things you learn in 1st year (and 1st forgotten too). Exam day is no time to be deciding, "is that the width of a pre-molar?"


5. Sleep well and eat well the day prior and be sure to get a good breakfast.


6. Bring your CANDIDATE GUIDE with you into the exam. You are allowed to reference it. You just can't write any notes that would give you an advantage (like probe depths, recession, etc.).


7. Work together as a class to have as many back ups as possible. You will most likely need to pay these pt a small amount to get them there and wait. Have the HHX and x-rays ready to go.
8. Have some classmates not taking the clinical exam "babysit" the back up patients. They will be in charge of paying the pt. after we are sure all of WSU students are qualified and on their way, the x-rays, and health histories. There will be other students from other schools at our site taking the boards as well. It is a possibility that their pt will not qualify. And they will want to use one of our back-ups. We had this happen this year. As devastating as it is for them to come all this way and not have a pt qualify, we need to make sure all of US WEBER people are taken care of first. We did let her use one of the back-ups...because we are just that nice.
   


9. And last the best of all the game...and I can't stress this one enough...CHANGE YOUR CHAIR POSITION! This is so huge. Be SURE to go from 8 o'clock all the way over to 1. Rememberinng surfaces away and toward in each position. Seriously people...this could be a pass or fail decision! Also, give yourself enough time to thoroughly explore your quad.
   

There is no clinic fee for that quad ($7) But it is a nice gesture to bring your pt a small token of your appreciation. It isn't "illegal" to pay your pt. most people do. Just be sure to keep that between you and your pt. as not to cause any troubles.

Whew...

So you've just passed both the written and clinical portions...and still have your $120 burning a hole in your pocket...maybe you'll stop by the mall on your way home. Maybe.

Then...there is a clinic orientation. Yes, you will all ready know the clinic. But I suggest going anyways. The clinic will look different with the curtains hung and you will see where your unit is for your clinical exam. I was really glad I went to the orientation. I had been assigned to the LEFT hand unit. NOPE, NOT A LEFTY! I didn't note that I was a left handed operator at the time of registration, but somehow this small detail fell through the cracks. This is no small feat to get the unit changed over to a right handed unit. I am glad I had some advanced warning to get the situation taken care of.

Then you head home, eat, call and confirm your patient, ready all of the supplies and paper work for your up coming clinical. And then lay in bed staring at your dark ceiling...waiting for your re-current probe depth dream to start. Oh maybe that was just me.

NEXT>>>

So then after passing the written...you get to proceed to the clinical portion.

However, if by some chance you don't pass with a score of >75% this is the end of LA for you...today. Instead of proceeding to the clinical portion, you go and register yourself for the next upcoming LA exam and try again! You re-register on the WREB website, and re-pay. And you should also eat something chocolate.

Prior to entering the clinic, you have another short orientation. The examiners read from a script again, perform a skit...yes an actual skit! It was pretty good too. They have some different verbage than us, but what you know is acceptable.
Here is our verbage:
1. Find your landmark insert the bevel just into the tissue and state: AT SITE OF PENETRATION
they look, get in your way (put just hold still) and on examiner says..."I see" the other examiner says, "I see. Proceed" It is important to pause and hold until you get the "proceed."

2. You then proceed to the depth and angle of your injection. Checking to make sure your angulation and depth are correct and you state: AT SITE OF DEPOSITION
Just be sure you are SURE that everything is correct before you announce this.
The examiners look, get in your way, and say the same as they did before...as long as there isn't a problem. In which case they will ask you to withdraw, and you can get nervous at this point or at any point before you have completed the injection.

3. Then after you get the "proceed" you announce: ASPIRATING you make a visible movement with your thumb against the opposing side of the ring, moving the plunger slightly, see small air bubbles, and no blood. This should take you about 4-5 seconds. Then, you announce: NEGATIVE ASPIRATION or in my case POSITIVE ASPIRATION you then handle the positive aspiration. You can either choose to withdraw and re-attempt for which you will state: Permission to withdraw and get another set up. or if the positive aspiration is slight (and in my case you are on your second positive and out of set ups) you can state: I am going to withdraw slightly and redirect. Just be sure to not completely withdraw from the tissue. Then you redirect and pray that you get a negative.
4. Then you state: DEPOSITING SOLUTION and they watch your rate of deposit, and after they have seen what they need to see they tell you to "go ahead and withdraw" but this time it is ok to hear that.

5. Then an examiner will watch you break down and dispose your sharps. There is some confusion as to which comes first...needle then cartridge or cartridge then needle. Both actually are acceptable...at least they were for us. Malamed says cartridge then needle, but we are taught needle then cartridge. The important part is keeping your little fingers far away from the front side of your card and not dropping your card into the sharps container.

For this exam you demonstrate 2 injections. The IA and PSA. (You will eventually know what these mean.) The injections have certain criteria that must be met, and it is outlined in your CANDIDATE GUIDE. You can decide which injection you would like to give (meaning RIGHT or LEFT)
Here is my advice for the clinical LA Board Exam:

1. Use a pt you can count on. They need to be on time, not be too nervous, understand how important this is, and not have a latex allergy or a herpetic lesion.


2. They cannot have any previous puncture marks, so if you are going to use them, don't inject them at least 2 weeks prior.


3. You can use each other (classmates). However, your exams must be 2 hrs apart from each other. And keep in mind that you can't all use each other. Some people will have to re-attempt after failing an injection, and it is handy to have a classmate as a backup.


4. Know how to handle a positive aspiration. If you have never had a positive aspiration: practice how you would handle the situation. You know...pretend/role play-everyone's favorite. This could be the difference of a pass or fail.


5. Have at least 3 syringes ready to go. 4 is best, but at least 3. Borrow from your peer pal, pass them along, or borrow some from your office if you can.
   

Everyone needs to come prepared with a cashier's check for $120 made out to WREB. This is just in case you fail an injection. You can pay and re-attempt one or both of the injections at this time, and pass. But after a re-attempt, and yet another fail, you have to re-register (and of course re-pay) and complete the clinical portion again at another exam location.

Hopefully, all will go well. You will handle the BOTH the positive aspirations, walk out of the clinic with your heart pounding, and look in your envelope and see this:





And take home your $120 cashier's check!

HERE WE GO!

For us, our LA written was on a Thursday morning at 8 am. It was a paper test (opposed to a computer test). It is given all at once-to all candidates that is. You will need your photo ID and candidate ID, and a #2 pencil to take the exam. They will call your candidate number, you present your photo ID, signed forms, and they give you a packet with the other necessary forms, and your official WREB ID which you must wear at all times while in an exam.

There is a short orientation prior to the written exam, they read a script, show a short movie and answer questions.

You then take the written exam. It is 55 multiple choice questions. Your answers are put on a scantron/"bubble sheet" you have 1 hour. You hand in your exam and test sheet and leave the room. Your exam is graded. You must receive at least a 75% to pass this exam. It is pass or fail. You don't know your score unless you fail it. Then they will give you a breakdown of areas you need to focus on. But hopefully you will get an envelope that looks like this:



Hopefully 100% of your class will pass...but IF they don't; be supportive and upbeat. Remember YOU still need to keep composure and pass YOUR next exam.

My studying tips for LA written exam:

LA can appear overwhelming. It can become very in depth. But, learn the basics early on, then dig deeper as you go along.

1. Your LA book should look like it has been through the war. Read and re-read. Try to spend some quality time with Stan at least twice a week during fall semester.

2. After you have the basics, you will learn technique. YES, you get to stab each other! Don't worry, it really isn't that bad. You won't even care by the last lab.

3. As for studying for the LA board. Of course the LA BIBLE. I used several past exams from Malamed. These will either be passed to you by your peer pal, or Prof. Hanson will email you a copy. Go over each question, and read that section in the book. Do this a few times to make sure you have it.

4. Get a copy of "THE RAP" after the live performance. you just wait...it's AWESOME!

5. Don't let the calculations scare you. They really aren't hard. Just take your time, and practice. MEMORIZE the table Prof. Hanson will give you. The first thing I did in the written was write down all of the table information, and it made the calculations a breeze. These are easy points, don't miss any.

And then it's official

This is what you will receive in the mail a few weeks prior to your exam. These are your exact days and times of you both your LA exams, and clinical exam. It also lists your candidate number, which you list on all your forms in lieu of your name. Let your patient know asap so they can also plan the day and time.

Registration Revisited

So, as I mentioned before...you will go and register yourself to take the boards on line. After a few emails and a few weeks you will recieve your packet in the mail from WREB. This will have your CANDIDATE GUIDE in it (for both LA and clinical). DO NOT LOOSE IT! Seriously, study this thing. You will also get some information that your registration is incomplete...but it isn't. Don't freak out. You have to get some forms signed and mailed in from Prof. Bossenberger. She will have these prepared for you. They have to be mailed within 3 days of registering online. There is just some cross over in the mailings, just make sure you get the forms, sign and send.

So when you go to the WREB website to register you need to remember your username and password. You will most likely not use them until after you have taken boards and want your results. Results for LA are instant, results for clinical exams are posted on the WREB site.
You will not know your day or time yet. This mailing will come a few weeks before the actual board. They send you all the forms you need to fill out. These are the actual forms you will be using for your exam, so take care of them, and prepare them with your pt info before your exam. If you want to, make copies to practice with. But if you want to make copies to be used in the actual exam, they have to be on the same color of paper.

For the written national board after you have registered, you have to either make your appiontment online or call them on the phone. The company is called Pearson Vue, and they have no affiliation with anything dental, they are just the company contracted to administer the test. There is a testing site in Ogden (BDO) and one in Draper. Call early to get the best selection of days and times.

Mockboards

Mockboards are an interesting thing. They simulate the clinical portion of the WREB exam. The paper work for some (myself included) is perhaps the most daunting. There are several forms that you need to become familiar with, and they are used in the mockboards as well. You will most likely receive a copy of this years CANDIDATE GUIDE in you summer mailing. It is not going to mean anything to you right now. BUT keep track of it! This will become extremely valuable to you. You can use it as a reference when you approach mockboards.

So here is my advice when it comes to mockboards:

1. Prepare yourself as best as possible. By this I mean x-rays for your pt. which include: BWX and 4 PA's of the quad you are submitting, and PA's of any additional teeth as well. If they have third molars, and you can't get them on a film, take a pano if possible.
2. Review the paper work. We don't use any of the forms WREB uses, so it takes time to become familiar with them. You can view and print them all at the WREB website.
3. Relax, and do your best. Just think of it as a regular clinic day. Each day in clinic you are out to do the best job you can, with no errors. Don't freak yourself out just because it is a mockboard.
4. Confirm your pt. and make sure they understand it is a very important appointment. I always paid the $7 for the quad that day, so it was an added bonus to remind them, "treatment for this exam day is FREE"
5. Most importantly...Don't be crushed if you FAIL! We had three mockboards total. I passed ONE! The points you receive are out of 10, so it really isn't a huge point loss. It is a HUGE lesson in effective instrumentation!

I am so GLAD that I failed those two mockboards! Sounds crazy huh?! It wasn't by much. I had a pt cancel at the last minute and took x-ray penalties on two of the three. But what I learned from my mistakes in these mockboards was HUGE!

This is kind of a side note, and also this is a long post...but this is my blog, I'll do what I want.

My first year in clinic (especially 1st semester, and even a little bit of 2nd) I spent subconsciously rolling my eyes. I had worked as an assistant for 6 years, and thought it was crazy and irrelevant some of the information that was being taught. True, it is pretty easy to wipe down a chair correctly, but clock positions, fulcrums, indirect vision...those are new concepts for you...even if you have been an assistant since you could walk! Really take the advice the instructors give you and use it. All right...that's all on that...for now.

Registration...YEE-Haw!

So, for registration heres the deal:

You have to register on line to take the boards. I started my registration over Christmas break. You start by going to two seperate websites: http://www.ada.org/ and http://www.wreb.org/ and follow the process from there. At the ada web site you will register for NBDHE (National Board Dental Hygiene Exam) here you will recieve your "DENTPIN" So in order to assure that you are actually in the DH program after you register your information goes to Professor Bossenberger for approval. From there, the registration process plays out in emails...Telling you that you are approved and what the next step is.

Then at the wreb site you enter in the "Hygiene candidates" and start the registration process there. Choose Weber State (or where ever you are taking the exam) Be sure to scroll all the way down and mark all the exams LA and clinical. Also be prepared to upload a photo of yourself. One that is similar to a mug shot...just kidding. You can smile..if you want. They want a light plain background and a tight-ish shot of your head and sholders. Also...come prepared with the PLASTIC! This is going to cost you. But you all ready knew that.


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So let's start at the beginning

So over the course of the past two years, I have come to a better understanding of what "THE BOARDS" really mean...before, all I would hear when any mention of the boards was "BE AFAID...BE VERY AFRAID!!!" But now I still have a slight twinge of that, but knowing what you are facing really does make the task at hand a little less daunting. So here is the break down:

• A written Local Anesthetic board (written LA)

Then right after you take AND PASS that test you go directly in to take your

• Clinical Local Anesthesia board.

(but if you don't pass the written...you do not pass go and do not collect $200. Instead you can retake it at another time. Of course paying again. Pass it, then go on to the clinicals. Fail it again back to the classroom to retake the class. Yikes)

• Then there is WREB this is the clinical portion of "THE BOARDS"

the exam is given at our clinic which will be nice to be in surroundings that are familiar...and this is the one that you have to find that perfect pt with 12 clicks of subgingival calculus in one quad, and with as few restorations as possible

Then there is

• The written National Board

This is the test that is taken at a testing site, and takes ALL day long. WOOT
So all of this information is what has been passed along to me...I haven't actually lived it all...YET. I haven't kept track exactly of the dollar amount but I would say in the ballpark of $1,200. More to come on registration next time.


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Setting out on the journey

Howdy and welcome to my blog! I am a member of the WSU RDH Class of 2010. We are all blazing the trail through the rough country know as WREB! "Thousands have done this" you say...but hold your horses there little lady. We are the first class to take National Boards completely on the new computerized format, as WSU students we are the first of the first to take our LA and Clinical boards in March! Along with that we are the first ones to find out if this is a good idea! So here we go...it is time to get down to business. Come along with me as I mozy down this trail. I will be blogging my tips and strategies of how I managed not to get bucked off.



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