Dental Hygienist

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 English Language Proficiency Dental hygienists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) Education Associate Degree or higher in an accredited dental hygiene program This program must be accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Licensure Applicants must be currently licensed to practice as a dental hygienist with a full, current, and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia 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 Accredited dental hygiene programs contain curriculum addressing radiologic procedures which will meet the requirement for certification as dental radiographers Exception Non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental hygienist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B) for a period not to exceed 2 years Failure to obtain certification during this time period may 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) Grandfathering Provision All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation, 4 but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions (2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard (4) Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation (5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation Grade Determinations: GS-9 Dental Hygienist (Full Performance Level)Experience At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level Assignment Employees at this level serve as developmental level 3 dental hygienists with the ability to perform direct patient care under the general supervision of the dentist It is expected that they receive guidance from higher-level or supervisory staff members for only the most complex patients Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: patient assessments (e.g risk assessments, oral health assessments), prevention recommendations, prophylaxis, periodontal treatment for mild to moderate disease (e.g scaling and root planning, full mouth debridement), Periodontal Screening and Recording (PSR) radiograph/image capture, fluoride treatment application, topical anesthesia administration and management of stable medically compromised patients (including risk factors) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-8 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of hygiene procedures to explain the process and indication, complications and expected treatment outcomes for each Knowledge of proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application Skill in detecting plaque and calculus, dental abnormalities/pathologies, assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure Skill in educating patients and caregivers on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and effects of illness, addictions, medications and tobacco on the oral cavity Ability to assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities to administer safe patient care Ability to assess the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health, recognize age-related changes in individual patients, adapt patient environment, and maximize patient's physical comfort References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/73, PART II, APPENDIX G37, DENTAL HYGIENIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-682 Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, walking, sitting, and bending are required Pushing dental equipment and carts are necessary in order to deliver items to the operatory or procedure site It is necessary to climb onto lifts in order to retrieve or store supplies, or to help the dentist carry out a surgical or dental procedure Lifting of patients from gurneys or wheelchairs into the dental chair is required in order to position them for radiographs or dental examination and treatment. ]]]]>