Microbiology

Being a germaphobe, wanting things always cleaned, and being all for infection control against microbes and bacteria is the main reason as to why I excelled in the Microbiology course. When learning about the characteristics of microorganisms, it reminded me of when I had to grow bacteria in one of my Biology courses in high school. However, I had more interest in destroying microorganisms and preventing the spread of infection, which was mainly focused on in the Microbiology course. This included: the proper PPE that needs to be worn during dental hygiene appointments, and the hand hygiene that we must follow. For each chapter that we covered, there were a set of questions at the end that we needed to answer and hand in that corresponded to the content. I found that not only was this a way for the teacher to evaluate what we have learned, but it also showed me the parts in the chapter that I was strong and weak in. For the content in which I found I did not know off the top of my head, I would then go back into the textbook and review it.

 

Specific points such as the clinical asepsis protocol and aseptic techniques are constantly in my head from when I learned them in the Microbiology course. In the Niagara College Dental Clinic, we were obligated to follow these at every appointment with our clients. Whether it was before we seat our clients, after we seat our clients, during the appointment, taking radiographs, or after the client leaves the chair, we were to constantly follow infection control measures. Not only do we do this to protect the client from the spread of infection, but also to protect ourselves and the rest of the dental team. Another point that I still remember and would apply each time I was in the Niagara College Dental Clinic was the cross-contamination between work and home. Regardless, there was a strong policy in regards to this as we were required to come to school without our scrubs on, and must take them off immediately after clinic before going home. Even though this can be an inconvenience at times, it was all done to prevent this cross-contamination.