Board results, graduation, and some thoughts

I finally received news yesterday that I passed my National Board exam!!!! 6 weeks is a long time to wait for the results of a scantron exam. Sheesh! But, I never was too concerned that I would or would not pass, it was just driving me crazy not getting the results. Luckily the director of my dental hygiene program gets to find out first, so she passed on the information to the rest of us (the entire class passed). I should get my individual results in the mail, but really...my score doesn't matter in the long run. No one will ever ask me what the score of my National Board exam was...they will only want to know if I am licensed. Half way there, and just a few more hills to climb.

On a somewhat related note, the other day I was surprised with the honor of receiving a memorial scholarship. A woman that graduated from the dental hygiene program back in 1982 who also came back to do some teaching lost her battle with breast cancer. Her father created a scholarship in her name, and this year I was the recipient of that scholarship. I actually didn't know anything about it until 3 days before the awards ceremony. My instructors had nominated me for the award, and I am very happy to have been chosen. It does seem slightly strange to have a scholarship given to me 2 weeks before graduation, but hey...I have to start paying back my student loan!

Speaking of graduation!!! Just a few more days and I will be a free woman! I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be so close to being finished with school. I envy all those young high school graduates that know exactly where to go, and what to do...even if they haven't picked a major yet. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I needed to be a full time student in order to be on my dad's medical insurance...but no one ever said I had to stay enrolled in those classes all semester!! Ha! I thought I was so smart. All I did was waste my time and prolonged my education. Finally, I made it into the program, and I had to face 2 years more of school. This is the point where I start calculating to see how old I am going to be when I finally do graduate (and yes, I just had another birthday...and no I didn't acknowledge it!). So now I am approaching the end. Some people say, "Wow, that went by fast!" and I say to them...."maybe, but I felt EVERY minute of it go by!" Sure hindsight is 20/20 and all that jazz, but I have been ready to be finished for a very long time. I also stand in awe of those who journey back to school after being away for awhile. My current stand on the issue is this, I am done...I am not going back (but I am leaving a little window open in the back of that statement that says I am not going back...right now.).

My main goal over the last several years has been to get an education and to have a degree. Well, as of May 20th at 6:30pm I will have reached my goal. Hallelujah!!! I am so grateful to have such a supportive husband, family, and friends to get me through all these years (especially to those of you who actually sat in my dental chair for a cleaning or for some x-rays). I know it sounds extremely cheesy, but I am also so incredibly grateful to live in a country where no one looks twice at a woman who gets her education. I am blessed to have the opportunity to be free to make my own choices and improve myself with my husband supporting me. I love my profession. Some people don't understand what I do, they don't understand what a "dental hygienist" is, and they certainly don't understand how I can put my hands in other people's mouths ("eww!"). My reply is this, I needed something that allowed me to help people, but this is in a way that isn't as obvious as heart surgery. I love dentistry, I have learned so much about the human body as a whole, and let me offer the crazy notion that yes the head is attached to the body, and I think that the mouth is part of the head. It is the source of nutrition, of communication, of love, of power, of health, of pain. The eyes may be the window into the soul, but the mouth is the portal to our entire life and wellbeing. It is my responsibility to educate my patients, to promote health and wellness, and to use prevention as a tool to help my patients.

Shall I step down from my podium? Ok, ok...so I have passion for what I do. I love it, and there is nothing else to say about it. So, to end my long and never-ending "Oscar" speech, I will just simply say that...I am happy. I have so much joy in my heart for this moment in my life. Thanks for being a part of it.