Dental Assistant

Description:

This Dental Assistant position is located at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System at the C. W. Bill Young Dental Clinic, Bay Pines, FL and Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Bradenton, FL. The dental assistant is an integral member of the dental treatment team and assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical, dental laboratory and administrative/clerical functions independently of direct supervision.

Requirements:

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

Citizenship . Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA policy.)

English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA guidelines.

Experience and/or Education .

Experience . Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work.

OR

Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

OR
Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.

Certification

Dental Radiographer Certification. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, you 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 your field .

Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence:
Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.;
OR,
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,
Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).

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.

***Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable .***

Loss of Credential. Management officials will remove dental assistants from their positions who fail to maintain the required licensure/certification, which may also result in termination of employment.

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 Determination. In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Specialized Experience . At least one year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-05) that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level. KSAs at the GS-05 grade level are:

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) GS-6 - In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

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 perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
8. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work include moderate lifting (15-44lbs), heavy carrying, (45lbs and over), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, good distant vision in one eye, ability to hear whisper voice. There is moderate walking (3-4hrs) and some extended periods of standing (3-4hrs).

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .