Internship Blog #10

Today at North Attleboro, I called a few more offices due to some data limitations. We ask more specific questions, which bugged me a lot because the calling process was not ideal, but I still pushed through with my siblings. Together, we got most of the data collecting done. The 6 hours hours including lunch felt like twenty minutes. I figured if I put my mind to something, time would fly.

The afternoon wasn't a productive one, but the patients that arrived that day were not the greatest. One came extremely late and walked in with a toothbrush, shouting "I came in with my toothbrush!" There was no comment from anyone in the front desk. A new patient came with an unfamiliar insurance, causing us to add that to the portal and see him at 1 o'clock for an exam checkup. I didn't scan a lot because my siblings already scanned most of the signed paperwork, so I decided to help out my brother who strived to call three offices by the end of the day. I called several offices but found none that could be used for data for our research project (just in case if you forgot, our project aimed to see the relationship with denture cleaning and insurance coverage through state Medicaid). Though we couldn't find any that worked, the last two hours was not a waste. DOing something little, like helping my brother for instance, could've made his day (I'm sure it didn't, but in other cases I definitely could have).

Dentists have to deal with unsatisfied patients with extreme kindness and patience. My dad exemplies that exactly and I strive to be like him when I reach the goal that he already achieved. The stress from an angry patient or a fully-booked schedule is what all dentists have to overcome. I'm just glad I can experience this early before I struggle later.