29-Hours in the Life of a First Year Dental Student, Part 2
(continuation of Part 1)
10:25pm: arrive back at my apartment and silently facepalm when I realize how much work I still have to do. My learning need for our new PBL case is due tomorrow and I have barely started. My learning need also happens to be on the anatomy and function of
ALL 12 CRANIAL NERVES
...
How am I supposed to create a concise learning need when people have written an entire book solely on cranial nerves?!
12:30am: I finally close my laptop and admit defeat. There is no way I'm going to finish my learning need tonight. I collapse in bed and set my alarm for 5am.
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5:21am: The sun isn't even out yet as I reluctantly roll out of bed and attempt to finish my learning need. Did you know that the trigeminal nerve (CN 5) has three branches: ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular branch? Did you know that the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN 8) controls balance?
My learning need turned out to be 19 pageseven after I condensed everything into size 10.5 font. Let me just clarify that this is NOT the length of a normal learning need. Usually, our topics are not as extensive and all-encompassing.
8am: Loupes fair in the student lounge at school. Today is the day that we finally get to order loupes. There are so many factors to consider when buying loupes: what frame to get? how much magnification? through-the-lens (TTL) or flip ups? prismatic lenses or Galilean lenses? how much will all of this cost me?
Unfortunately, the vendor that I'm buying loupes from was late this morning so I wasn't able to order loupes before my radiology rotation.
8:30am - 12pm: We had our first radiology rotation this morning where we learned how to take radiographs on Dexter, the dental x-ray teaching and training replica (DXTTER).
Meet our good friend Dexter. Isn't he a good lookin' feller?
We paired up to take radiographs on Dexter - I took all the radiographs on the right side and my partner took all of the radiographs on the left side. Together, we compiled a complete full mouth x-ray (FMX).
12:15pm: I finished developing the last of my x-ray films in the dark room before heading to lunch with a classmate. Since I never shot with a film camera, I never experienced the joys of working in a dark room until today. The dark, grungy room dimly illuminated by red light with a few x-ray film processors whirring in the background provided the perfect stage for rocking out to Green Day (which was playing on the radio in the background).
12:20pm: A classmate and I went to get lunch at Lemonade, which is situated on the second floor of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center.
2pm: Back to the loupes fair to place my order. After much deliberation, I finally decided to buy the Buddy Holly loupes with 3.5x magnification.
The End.
