So Far, So Good!!

Today was a great day in clinic. I'm no longer afraid of Instructor Perry, he's actually very, very helpful and I'll probably learn a lot from him. Prof Alexander was great as usual at teaching me how to get the calculus that I missed. I was lucky to have Dr. Naylor do my last scale check and she said I did a great job. I'm glad that a dentist checked my work because I've always been nervous about the fact that the dentist has to do an exam after my cleaning in the real world, but she made me feel good about myself and confident of my skills.
The best lesson I learned today: Blood Pressure
Ways to get a lower blood pressure reading: (compliments of Instructor Perry)
1. Make sure pt's legs are not crossed.
2. Give the pt time to relax.
3. Elevate the pt's arm to the level of the heart.
4. Make sure pt's arm is straight, never bent.
5. Make sure the pinky is above the level of the thumb.
These tricks really do work!! I took my pt's bp 3 times, the first systolic reading was 160, then 150, then 140. Thank goodness. My pt ended up being a class 3/class 2. Just what I needed.
I've been lucky thus far. I've had only class 2's and 3's. All my dreams come true.
My goals for clinic next time are to pass off PE's, FIND A MOCKBOARD PT ASAP, and speed up. I feel that if I were better prepared things would go smoother, but I'm not sure how to be better prepared. I'll figure it out.

Joni