Dental Assistant

Summary Dental Assistant sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Possesses advanced knowledge of instruments - materials - and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative - surgical - endodontic and periodontal care. Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy Experience/Education Combination Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying Certification Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75 Essentially - they must have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation - and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education - and be certified as radiographers in their field Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence (a) Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board - Inc. OR - [(b)] Successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations developed by the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry OR - [(c) Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).] (2) Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D) Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment This [will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employment (3) Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable [(4) Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants DANB certifi- cation is not required - but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level - and is required for all positions above the full performance level May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria) Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates GS-3 (a) Experience or Education None beyond the basic requirements GS-4 (a) Experience or Education In addition to the basic requirements - 1 year of experience at the next lower level - OR 2 years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation [(CODA)] In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1 Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling] 2 Basic knowledge of dental procedures and [medical emergencies] 3 Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval] 4 Basic knowledge of maintenance - care and storage of dental equipment 5 Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.] GS-5 (a) Experience or Education (1) [In addition to the requirements listed at GS-4 above - applicants must demonstrate] at least 1 year of experience [equivalent to] at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level OR - (2) Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by [CODA (3) In addition to meeting paragraph (1) or (2) above - the applicant must demonstrate the following KSA's:] (b) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1 Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality 2 Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement 3 Basic knowledge of instruments - materials and standardized dental procedures 4 Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA 5 Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol GS-6 Staff Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience At least 1 year of experience [equivalent to] the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the [following] technical KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1 [Ability to identify normal oral anatomy 2 Advanced knowledge of instruments - materials - and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative - surgical - endodontic and periodontal care and procedures 3 Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs 4 Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist 5 Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats 6 Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry 7 Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records 8 Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. Duties Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties include but are not limited to the following: Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry Passes instruments safely - accurately - and efficiently Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols Monitors - and performs basic interpretation of - patient vital signs (BP - pulse - pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure Applies topical anesthetic at the injection site Takes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication Pours impressions and prepares study models Makes final denture impression trays and prepares bite rims Removes plaque and soft debris from removable prostheses Provides procedure-specific - patient-preventative education and oral hygiene instruction Provides post-operative and other appropriate patient education Assists in specialized dental procedures - such as oral surgery - endodontics - periodontics - prosthodontics - implant placement and restoration Fabricates athletic mouth guards and bleaching trays Performs other dental laboratory functions as needed Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-430pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized