RDH Update

Written : December, 2012
Six of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

Well, I did it.  This past week I worked my first three days as a Dental Hygienist in AR.  I had many emotions going into this job.  During Sunday morning Bible Study I gave a praise report concerning getting the job.  Then, you might can guess my next prayer request?  Yep, "Help Lord with the computer portion of the job.   As I have already stated in the previous Blogs, I really am not too nervous concerning the DH part, but somewhat nervous about the Xrays & the computer.

God gave me many blessings this past week.  You might now care about all this DH detail stuff, but God knows that it is important to me.  By listing all these blessings, just keeps reminding me of God's faithfulness & it encourages my faith.
1) Before I went to work I noticed that I didn't cram with any studing.  Normally, with all my other jobs I would study & cram.  I found myself letting all that go.
2) I loved working with Laci, the other Hygienist, who didn't judge me or look down on me.  She was so helpful & I learned a lot from her.  She kept telling me that I can do this, slow down, & that I'm thinking too much.  She was awesome.
3) The computer software was pretty easy to work with due to my last job that I had in Franklin, NC over a year ago.
4) I struggled with making appointments that were due in 6 mon, but on the second day I finally sat down with Laci & wrote out some cheat notes.  After that I didn't have any problems.
5) Xrays: After a couple of times, they became ordinary.  Before I was trying to talk patients out of them.  Now, it is no big deal.
6) Jamie the receptionist was so very helpful.
7) I stayed on schedule & many times there were cancellations that helped my time schedule.
8) I couldn't believe it, but Dr. Lane paid me extra money than he told me.  Either he forgot or a bonus due to Christmas, or he changed his mind.  Whatever, I'm grateful.

I am actually looking forward to going back.  Also, there might be other days that I can work than the suggested 10 days that were suggested.

I just thank the Lord for the answer prayer & blessings for & during this first job.

Thank you Lord.  You were faithful again.

ann :)

PS-Jan 13, 2013-Asked our Bible Study to pray for 2 extra days of work.  Yesterday 1.21.13 I was asked to work for Wed. 1.23.13 due to the other RDH sub was sick.  I hated that she is sick, but I'm grateful for the extra day.  Thank you Lord. 

10.3.2016

Well, After reading all of the blogs of faith on my RDH Journey, I wanted to give a quick update.  I can't remember too long during the next year, I gave up my RDH shengle.  The jobs were not coming along, I had lost so much confidence in my knowledge ability, I wasn't enjoying it-a huge stressor,  the cost for keeping up with the expenses of three States, & 47 hr of credit every other year-- was too much on us.  I felt my real ministry was helping with the family-enjoying a lot of baby sitting at the time, plus going back & forth to check on the Mothers.

At the present time, I am still enjoying keeping & helping with the grands, but the Lord has directed me to being a Core Leader with a ministry called CommunityBible Study (CBS), which is a huge commitment.  I'm so grateful for this opportunity.

ann :)

I Can't Believe It!

Written :  12,13, 2012

Fifth of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

Anytime I see God answer prayer & see His faithfulness, it certainly blows me away.  I can hardly contain myself.  It never gets old & this situation is no exception.  I love time lines, so please be patient with me as you read this blog.

I have not felt lead to search for an RDH job this year.  I don't know if I'm putting it off due to fear or I just don't want to work.  The real truth is probably yes to both of these statements.  But, I really haven't felt lead to hunt for a job.  In fact, I thought I found the perfect job at Dr. Eiler's office which should have begun this December, but that is not looking promising at the moment.  I really was dreading job hunting due to there are so many Dentist in the Little Rock area, & I don't know where to begin or who to trust.  I did want to get into a good office that produces awesome dentistry no matter where I work.

December 6, (Thur)-I love Chat.  This is the women's ministry at Summit Church.  We meet 3-4 times during the school year for a couple of hours.  Every Chat is different, & again I love helping & being apart of it.  This Chat I got there early to help, but there was nothing for me to do.  Marty Heard was standing around.  To my surprise, she was a major part of the program.  I just thought she was there early, like me.  I met her when I attended our new church homes Women's Spring Bible Study this year.  She is a wife of a Dentist in North Little Rock.  She has been so supportive & very sympathetic as I went through the AR DH Board process.
     We usually have about 90 women to attend Chat.  So, for me to have run into Marty & had time to chat, would have been a little difficult.  Amazing how God orchestrated this interaction.
     Anyway, we were catching-up & she wanted to know where I stood with RDH.  I told her my thoughts & feelings.  (1) Marty said that they might can use me in Feb 2013 & to bring by a resume; (2) & that they (she & her husband-he meets with other Dentist in a Bible Study) would pass the word about me to help steer me in the right direction.

December 9, (Sun)-During a different Bible Study that my husband & I attends that met after the worship service, I asked for prayer concerning a RDH job.  I had already told LaRue & Dianna about my situation during our tea, & had ask them to pray for me concerning this.

December 10, (Mon)-I got dressed up, traveled about 30 min for a 5 sec meeting & left the resume at Dr. Heard's office.  Then, I got lost & it took me about 45 min to get home.  Getting lost, NEVER makes me happy, if you know what I mean.  Plus, Marty wasn't even in the office that day.  Oh well.

December 12, (Thur)-While I was keeping Haven (our 2nd grand baby), I got a phone call from Dr Heard's office to ask if they could fax my resume to Dr. Lane's office.  I was spell bound.  He also asked if he could meet me today.  I got cleaned up & was at the office for over 2 hrs.  The office & staff were great!  Here I go again, being overwhelmed with the computer responsibilities.  I was experiencing many mixed emotions: excitement, overwhelmed, & fearful.  This was obviously to me & to Dr. Lane that this was a GOD THING.  

After it was all over I had to naturally call Dave first, then Dianna, La Rue, & of course Marty who already knew.  Later the kids & Mother.  You see, this goes back to when I CAN'T HARDLY CONTAIN MYSELF, I HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE.

Lately, I have felt in my spirit the Lord taking me back to the verses to claim & declare though-out preparing for the Boards.  I believe that God wants me to keep declaring these verses, not only with my RDH skills, but also with these computer skills that I now need to learn as I work.

Ex 31:1-5
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

Prayer-Father, I just thank you for this awesome opportunity of seeing how you care for me (us), seeing You work, seeing Your faithfulness in this area of my life.  Again, You are so faithful.  Thank you for the 10 day of work & maybe more with this office.  I also want to thank you for other sub-jobs that You will bring my way.  Thank you that this job should pay us back about 2/3's of what we owe ourselves in RDH.  In Jesus Name, Amen

      ann :) 

Update Concerning AR RDH Board

Written :  12,13, 2012

Fourth of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

I can't believe I am writing so late.  The Board was Saturday, Apr. 28, 28th, 2012. Well, here is the rest of the AR DH saga! 

The Board was given within a 3 day period.  Each day there were two different sessions that you could have been assigned to.  I was assigned the last day, & the last session to take the Board.  Nothing like giving your nerves the opportunity to have their full benifit to perform!

The day of the Board finally came.  Yes, I was nervous.  I showed up for orientation at 6:30 am.  Then I had to wait until 12:45 pm to take the exam.  Since I really could not go home between orientation and my Board, I walked, & walked to help pass the time.  I even walked to the zoo & bought our zoo passes for the year, & walked some more.  I then sat down & ended up talking with a Mom who was waiting on her daughter who was taking the exam.  My stomach was still churning.

Well, it was finally time.  My patient showed up.  Praise the Lord!  I had even bought him a Nook for him to play with during the 3 hr exam.  You do what you have to do to get your patient there.  I also had to pay him at least $100 for me to clean 1/2 of his mouth.  He was a good sport I have to say.

By the time I walked into the clinic I saw my dear instructor, Ms. Pace.  I couldn't believe it but, she had my entire opertory prepared, which saved a lot of time.  I took my time doing my perio probing & calculus detection.  I knew I would take a hit with not meeting the Board's criteria & also calculus detection portion.  Now, this was my fourth state exam that I had taken.  It never gets any easier, but I couldn't believe what was happening within myself during this exam.  I was actually enjoying working on my patient's mouth.  I couldn't believe it.  I enjoyed it & had PEACE & JOY :) just like I prayed for.  

Again, God was faithful!!!

I did pass the Board with the exact grade I thought I would make!  God, You are so good.

Now, I beginning a new journey in finding part-time jobs.  I do enjoy the Dental Hygiene work, but going into a new office everytime to sub, is becoming very difficult for me, especially mentally & emotionally.  Every office has a different computer system.  This always freaks me out to some degree.  Why can't I just clean the patient's teeth :-/

AGAIN, as I begin this new job on Monday, 12.17.2012, I'm reminded of God's faithfulness; plus He took me back to the two sisters, Mary & Martha, that I wrote about in my last entry, Where is My Focus?  God is good!

            ann :)

Marinade vs Faith? Part Two

Written : March, 2012
Second of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

continuation...
I had the opportunity to take a wonderful 2 1/2 weeks trip in March of this year (2012), to go back to Highlands, NC then to Valdosta, GA & on to Atlanta.  I hadn't been back to Highlands since we moved the end of Sept. 2011.  It was great spending time with my Mom but, it was also a bitter sweet time because it was my first time back at home since my Dad past away this past Jan (2012).  The Dental Conference in Atlanta is always fun.  I learn a lot of information, got many CE credits, & I had so much fun being with Dr. Dyer's office.  Along the way I got to visit with many wonderful friends, & went to a wonderful Women's Retreat.

While in Valdosta I got to visit with one of my dearest friends named Gaye.  We went out to lunch, driving in style with her new Jaguar.  Boy, did I give her a grief about that.  After talking about the families & all our girlie stuff, I began to talk about the woes of taking the Dental Hygiene Boards, again.  The bottom line of that conversation, was the Lord was with me through the NC boards, He will be with me through the AR boards.

Then, I began telling her after the joy of passing this AR DH board, I now get to pay over a $1000 to take a course for a week about Dental Hygiene Local Anesthesia.  In other words, I've got to learn how to give shots!!!  Not only do I have to learn how to give a shot, I get to be a guinea pig for someone else for five days for someone else to practice on.  :( :( :(  

Now, the Dentist & Hygienist AR love doing this.  I am the person who HATES shots with a purple passion.  I have hated them since I was a very small child.  I can't even watch someone else on TV with a knife or an animal attacking another animal on the Discovery Channel.  I can dig in your mouth & get all that gunk out, but forget a shot.

As I was telling Gaye all this, we started dieing laughing.  The more expressive I got, the more we laughed.  About the end of this conversation, it was time for us to depart.  Right before I got out of her car to get into mine Gaye then came up with this great illustration.  "Ann, just think of those mouths as being a chicken!  As you are giving those shots, you are marinating a chicken.  Just imagine that medicine spreading out like marinade all through the mouth."  By this time we were roaring with laughter.  Laughing tears were flowing down my cheeks--one of those belly laughs.  In fact, I am laughing all over again while writing this story.  

Well, I must admit, that if I ever take the course I might kill over laughing with the shot in my hand & never make it to the patients mouth.  At this point in my journey in preparing to take the AR Dental Hygiene Boards, I don't have a patient & my board is Apr 28th.  That seems like a long time away, but really I have about 1 1/2 weeks to find a patient or maybe I need to withdraw from the exam & give up practicing DH.  If I don't get my license, then I don't have to take the course.  Hey!! :)

Some anchor concepts of faith that I have really hung onto are: 
-that God is good no matter what;  
-He loves me & He wants the best for me & my family; 
-& He is faithful no matter what!  
-He hasn't failed me, 
-& I haven't failed myself through this process.  
-If I take the board or not, if I pass or not; He is still a good Father.
  
Again, these concepts keep me grounded in my life.  Other faith steps through this journey have been clinging to the verses that God has given me; not giving up; studying for the course before I pass the boards (I have to pass the boards to take the course).

Well back to the marinade.  Shots or no shots, God wants to marinade me in His Word & in His goodness everyday.  Don't you love that?!  Also, don't you love dear friends that help you keep life in perspective?!  I do.

                                 ann :)

Marinade vs Faith? Part One

Written : March, 2012
First of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

Almost two and a half years ago I completed an up & down journey that involved renewing my GA RDH license & earning my NC RDH license.  This was one of the most stressful journeys that I have ever lived through in a very, Very, VERY long time.

This season of my life began when Dave mentioned to me one random day, that if something happened to him, it might be a good idea for me to renew my GA RDH license.  We lived in Highlands, NC at the time; a tiny mountain town which was only about 30 minutes from the GA State line.  This idea led to me having carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand in Dec of 2008.  Then in Jan. 2009, after filling out all the paper work for the GA Board, I was now part of the waiting game.  To make a long story short, I received my license in December of 2009.

In the meantime while waiting on my GA license, I really felt lead within my spirit to go after my NC license since I lived in NC.  Makes sense, huh!  This is where the stress of my journey really began.  I had to find a patient who would consent for me to take him to the Board exam & clean a portion of his mouth.  This was not an easy feat since I was not in a school setting anymore.  It seems that this wouldn't be all that hard.  Who wouldn't want a free cleaning, Xrays, all expenses paid trip to Greenville, NC, & money on the side.   It doesn't work that way.  The Dental Board has a very specific criteria for you to follow.  God provided for my every need in many miraculous ways along this journey especially a patient, & I passed the Board in Oct, 2009 with "flying colors."  One of the greatest lessons I learned through this process was overcoming my battle with fear.  Another thing I learned was I NEVER WANTED TO GO THROUGH ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN.

If you have been reading my Life's A Season blog; beginning 9-6-11; you would have learned that we have just been through a major move from Highlands, NC to Maumelle, AR the end of Sept 2011.  Guess what that means?  Yep!!  If I am to practice Dental Hygiene, I am going to have to take the Clinical EXAM all over again! :(  Yes, I have to find the perfect patient to meet the AR Boards' criteria to take to the exam.  At least this time I can take the exam here in town, & I have the Dental Hygiene School to help me in many ways.  So here I go again putting fliers all over town, in hospitals, & visiting churches, plus putting it out there on Face Book to find that perfect patient.

God has given me the neatest verses to carry me along this journey-Ex 31:1-5
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

Well this fits me to the TEE.  I am like Bezalel.  He was the only a blue collar worker that God put His Spirit into.  He was not a leader or a prophet.  I am God's child & I have His Spirit in me. 

I have prayed that God would fill me not only with His Spirit, but also in wisdom,  understanding, knowledge, & in all manner of workmanship to do the work I need to do in Dental Hygiene.  Bezalel, had to do his job perfectly the first time.  I need to do that (sort of) with the Boards.  He also worked well under authority.  I need this also in working with my instructors.

I hate long blogs, so I will continue the story later....

                                        ann :)

Where Is My Focus?

Written :  4, 23, 2012
Third of Six Blogs on God's Faithfulness concerning my AR RDH Boards 

As I have been thinking back, I can't believe that about the last 1 1/2 yrs; (beginning June 2011 until the present); it has been very busy to say the least.  Here is a little of what we have been through part of this year alone: preparing for a move, buying a house, moving (& all the emotion that goes with it), setting up into a new home, enjoying all our children (who live close by), holidays, death of my Daddy, making several long trips & preparing for my AR Dental Hygiene Board.  With all this said, it reminds me of two sisters in the Bible that I can identify with: Mary & Martha.

Martha is the busy one, looking to the needs of everyone.  We always find Mary at Jesus' feet drawing from Him.  Well, I have to admit that with all this going on I feel I have been a mixture of these two women.

Since my Daddy's death in January, these last 3 months I have thrown myself into a full-time commitment & totally focused on preparing for THE BOARD.  Trying to find a patient that meets the perfect criteria to take to the Board Exam can blow your mind.  I am very grateful that in preparing for this exam, I have had the opportunity to have the Dental Hygiene School at UAMS to guide me.  I didn't have this advantage when I took the NC Board 2 1/2 yrs ago.

At the beginning of this Board season of my life, again!; I felt that God gave me Ex. 31:1-5.  (If interested, read my blogs: Marinate or Faith? Part 1 & 2 to get the entire picture!)  Not only have I been claiming these verses, but I have also been bombarding the Throne of Grace with Ps 61:2 & 8; and Zech 4:6-7, especially on my clinic days.

Ps 1:2-From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

       When my heart is overwhelmed (I am overwhelmed by this situation);
       Lead me to the rock (Jesus, who) that is higher than I.
    :8-So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
        That I may daily perform my vows (service).

Zech 4:6-So he answered and said to me:
             “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel (me-Ann):
             ‘Not by (your) might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
             Says the Lord of hosts.
           7-‘Who are you, O great mountain (Board Exam)?
              Before Zerubbabel (Ann) you (it) shall become a plain!
              And he shall bring forth the capstone
              With shouts of “Grace, grace to (over) it!”’”

[PS Statement-These verses were taught at my Women's Retreat this Spring.  If you don't go to Women Retreats.....GO...!!!]

Now, I have not had a good day in clinic since this journey has begun.  On top of all this, every patient that I have examined for this exam, have not totally met the criteria.  Even the Dentist in clinic said, "I could write a book of this subject."  

Through God's grace & faithfulness, I am grateful to write that I do have a patient to take to the exam.  God gave him to me at the very last moment.  I already know that he doesn't meet the requirements for the exam, so I know I will take a hit going into the exam.  In other words, points are already taken off before I even begin the exam.  I will have to take the exam & be perfect.

The exam is Saturday (Apr. 28th, 2012).  This past weekend I had time to regroup.  During these last couple of weeks I have really had a chance to be in God's Word.  Interesting enough Mt 6:25-34 has been coming at me from all sides, even on a beautiful mug that some dear friends gave me months ago.  

In this passage, Jesus mentioned 3 times- DO NOT WORRY about...   Well, it finally occurred to me I better take heed.  What really spoke to me was in verse

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  

What is the kingdom of God you ask?  

Romans 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Reality Check!!!

Where God wants me to put my focus is own His righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Spirit during any situation.

It is time for peace & joy.  He wants me to go into this exam with peace & joy; not after the Board & no matter if I pass or not. 

One thing I have learned through this preparation is becoming aware of where is where am I getting my significance; my identity.  Knowing Who is my identity & Where my significance comes from gives me peace & joy.

                                   ann :)