(no subject)
**WARNING**
LOOONG ARSE entry
This morning I went back to UGM to volunteer as a dental assistant//janitor. I finally got to meet THE DR. ZIMMERMAN. I've heard about the man who started it all. He created this non-profit clinic in 1995 with prices aimed for homeless people and the women shelter. Dr. Z is also the man that patent the famous dental tray rack: (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4600251.html)
Right off the bat, he asked if i was korean. :/ not because of how i look, but he heard my FIRST name. When he learned I was vietnamese, he told me of his times in Vietnam as a Pilot's dentist. Only a few percent of the 30,000 soldiers stationed were his patients; pilots. Seven of his patients died in war; not a very common cause to "no-shows."
Dr. Z also got me thinking really hard about UW dental school. "it's the finest school in the nation." UW trains you with doctors so you understand symptoms for other diseases not just oral. In his example, he found 24 cases of diseases during his practice. He told me of a story when he informed his patient that she potentially has a tumor growing on the roof of her mouth. She was so upset with him, even had her husband and mother call Dr. Z and yell at him.
I really try to mentally prepare myself for dentistry by being AWARE of all the aspects of dentistry. Doesnt have to be specific, just as long as I've heard of it before. But he brought up something I really never thought about: dentistry ethics as a physician. I mean, you ahve the doctorate degree, could you tell your patients who come for a cleaning that you may have found a symptom of CANCER? im sure its illegal for you to DIAGNOSE them- but do you want to be in taht position to tell them that type of news? maybe this is why dentistry was a lot easier than medicine. its not common to tell your patients they have a terminal disease.
I also got to watch Dr. Z START perform a root canal. that has got to be the most grueling, complex, therefore longest procedure in a general dental clinic.
* * *
So all the dentists that work at UGM for the day are volunteers; retired or working. It is truly wonderful to see dentists use their day off time to work free. Today was my first time I got to see an Asian woman dentist. She is a really gentle and graceful lady. When I helped her assist, I loved how careful and calm she did her work.
<3 that's something i really like about this whole volunteering at a clinic with different rotations of dentists, you truly get to see the personality of each dentist through their work <3
anyhoo, i was just being me the whole day; asking questions and chatting. The lady dentist asked me what i do during the summer. I had already told her im applying to dental school now and taking the DAT. so not much else asides from volunteering.
"are you interested in a part-time dental assistant job?"
in the most indifferent tone, "yeah." (then it dawned upon me that this could possibly be an OFFER??)
me again: "OH! so... do you know of any positions that are open?"
her: "my clinic will be looking for a dental hygeniest assistant in the end of August."
HELL YEAH. can you say GREAT TIMING? my application with AADSAS should be done by then. PuRRRRRRRRR-fect! so she gave me her contact information and now it's just up to me when i should send in a resume. im sure its for formality, im thinking she'll give me a chance! <3
this is so loong, you guys probably want to stop reading the details...
BUT THERE"S MORE!!!!
tonight ended unexpectedly FUN. so my mom got a new karaoke machine for her birthday, which i SUGGESTED btw (applaude now). anyhoo she loves it and busts it out every night when friends or family are over. tonight, my mom's friends brought over a young vietnamese lad straight from California.
call me a racist, but when i see vietnamese boys i tend to look over them. i was pretty cold in the beginning because i assumed it was all a set up-- BECAUSE that's what happens when old vietnamese folks get together; they play match-maker.
well as we talked, i found out he really was in seattle for a couple days because he has a field work to do in alaska, he's a biology major. so there was NO intention by my mom's friends! This made me open up and I was pretty embarrassed of my behavior. casual talk and i found out he's a pretty cool guy. so i got all normal and let loose and invited him out tomorrow! it's he's first time visiting seattle so i want him to say, with HEART now: "seattle kicks ass." ;D
Back to the karaoke machine:
vietnamese people can sing. all those damn high pitched, long droned love songs preps ups your pharynx (or was it your larynx?). we sang for hours and hours. it was so much fun. i had to change the mood of the crowd by singing to BUTTERCUP! haha it was so much fun. and then the finale song with everyone was "TWIST AGAIN," where each person (mum, curtis, friend husband, friend wife, thao, thoa, debora, cali dude, and myself) got up to do the twist. Hahah GREAT times. in the best mood of laughter, dancing, and singing... the music stopped and the night ended.
LOOONG ARSE entry
This morning I went back to UGM to volunteer as a dental assistant//janitor. I finally got to meet THE DR. ZIMMERMAN. I've heard about the man who started it all. He created this non-profit clinic in 1995 with prices aimed for homeless people and the women shelter. Dr. Z is also the man that patent the famous dental tray rack: (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4600251.html)
Right off the bat, he asked if i was korean. :/ not because of how i look, but he heard my FIRST name. When he learned I was vietnamese, he told me of his times in Vietnam as a Pilot's dentist. Only a few percent of the 30,000 soldiers stationed were his patients; pilots. Seven of his patients died in war; not a very common cause to "no-shows."
Dr. Z also got me thinking really hard about UW dental school. "it's the finest school in the nation." UW trains you with doctors so you understand symptoms for other diseases not just oral. In his example, he found 24 cases of diseases during his practice. He told me of a story when he informed his patient that she potentially has a tumor growing on the roof of her mouth. She was so upset with him, even had her husband and mother call Dr. Z and yell at him.
I really try to mentally prepare myself for dentistry by being AWARE of all the aspects of dentistry. Doesnt have to be specific, just as long as I've heard of it before. But he brought up something I really never thought about: dentistry ethics as a physician. I mean, you ahve the doctorate degree, could you tell your patients who come for a cleaning that you may have found a symptom of CANCER? im sure its illegal for you to DIAGNOSE them- but do you want to be in taht position to tell them that type of news? maybe this is why dentistry was a lot easier than medicine. its not common to tell your patients they have a terminal disease.
I also got to watch Dr. Z START perform a root canal. that has got to be the most grueling, complex, therefore longest procedure in a general dental clinic.
* * *
So all the dentists that work at UGM for the day are volunteers; retired or working. It is truly wonderful to see dentists use their day off time to work free. Today was my first time I got to see an Asian woman dentist. She is a really gentle and graceful lady. When I helped her assist, I loved how careful and calm she did her work.
<3 that's something i really like about this whole volunteering at a clinic with different rotations of dentists, you truly get to see the personality of each dentist through their work <3
anyhoo, i was just being me the whole day; asking questions and chatting. The lady dentist asked me what i do during the summer. I had already told her im applying to dental school now and taking the DAT. so not much else asides from volunteering.
"are you interested in a part-time dental assistant job?"
in the most indifferent tone, "yeah." (then it dawned upon me that this could possibly be an OFFER??)
me again: "OH! so... do you know of any positions that are open?"
her: "my clinic will be looking for a dental hygeniest assistant in the end of August."
HELL YEAH. can you say GREAT TIMING? my application with AADSAS should be done by then. PuRRRRRRRRR-fect! so she gave me her contact information and now it's just up to me when i should send in a resume. im sure its for formality, im thinking she'll give me a chance! <3
this is so loong, you guys probably want to stop reading the details...
BUT THERE"S MORE!!!!
tonight ended unexpectedly FUN. so my mom got a new karaoke machine for her birthday, which i SUGGESTED btw (applaude now). anyhoo she loves it and busts it out every night when friends or family are over. tonight, my mom's friends brought over a young vietnamese lad straight from California.
call me a racist, but when i see vietnamese boys i tend to look over them. i was pretty cold in the beginning because i assumed it was all a set up-- BECAUSE that's what happens when old vietnamese folks get together; they play match-maker.
well as we talked, i found out he really was in seattle for a couple days because he has a field work to do in alaska, he's a biology major. so there was NO intention by my mom's friends! This made me open up and I was pretty embarrassed of my behavior. casual talk and i found out he's a pretty cool guy. so i got all normal and let loose and invited him out tomorrow! it's he's first time visiting seattle so i want him to say, with HEART now: "seattle kicks ass." ;D
Back to the karaoke machine:
vietnamese people can sing. all those damn high pitched, long droned love songs preps ups your pharynx (or was it your larynx?). we sang for hours and hours. it was so much fun. i had to change the mood of the crowd by singing to BUTTERCUP! haha it was so much fun. and then the finale song with everyone was "TWIST AGAIN," where each person (mum, curtis, friend husband, friend wife, thao, thoa, debora, cali dude, and myself) got up to do the twist. Hahah GREAT times. in the best mood of laughter, dancing, and singing... the music stopped and the night ended.