Dental Hygienist

Summary

The Dental Hygienist (Advanced Clinical) position is in the James E. Van Zandt Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Altoona, PA, under the Dental Surgical Service. Conducts patient medical assessments, manages diseases and treatments, provides denture care and adjustments, performs scaling and root planning, and provides patient or group education.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for obtaining and recording comprehensive medical-including vitals, medications, and social history-dental, and dietary histories.
• Performs dental charting, caries detection, and assessment of abnormalities and periodontal conditions.
• Prepares the operatory for planned procedures and maintains efficient turnover, ensuring safe handling of instruments.
• Delivers routine oral prophylactic care, including fluoride application, with awareness of appropriate indications and safe use.
• Conducts gross debridement, deep scaling, curettage, and root planing with skilled instrumentation.
• Detects plaque, calculus, inflammation, and dental pathologies, and adapts care based on patients' medical histories, anxiety, phobias, medications, comorbidities, and age-related factors to maximize safety and comfort.
• Cleans dental prostheses and assists the dentist during the absence of the dental assistant.
• Applies desensitizing and sealant materials, places sedative/temporary restorations, recements crowns/bridges, performs minor dental prostheses adjustments and enameloplasty, makes study model impressions, removes sutures, and ensures all procedures follow infection control protocols.
• Provides individualized education tailored to Veterans' oral health needs, including post-procedure instructions, tobacco cessation, and caries and periodontal disease prevention strategies.
• Clearly explains hygiene procedures, anticipated outcomes, complications, and indications.
• Develops and delivers individual and group oral health instruction to inpatients, outpatients, and caregivers on periodontal disease, wellness, maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and the effects of illness, addiction, medications, and tobacco on oral health.
• Produces diagnostic-quality dental images with accurate orientation and exposure.
• Adheres to stringent infection control measures when preparing and cleaning operatory spaces.
• Prepares instruments for sterilization in accordance with SPD standards, ensuring no delay in clinical care.
• Supports appointment scheduling and helps fill schedule gaps caused by cancellations or missed appointments.
• Maintains patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations for both written and verbal information. Adheres to computer security protocols.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : 7:00 am - 3:30 pm; Monday - Friday

Telework : Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000 / Dental Hygienist

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.
• Education: Applicants must possess an Associate degree or higher from an accredited dental hygiene program. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved programs are:
  • Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
  • Education completed outside of the United States must be considered at least equivalent to that gained in CODA accredited United States programs and would enable the candidate to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, which is administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.
• Licensure/Certification:
  • 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: P.L. 97-35, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act Of 1981, requires persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 C.F.R. Part 75, Standards for the Accreditation of Educational Programs for and the Credentialing of Radiologic Personnel. To meet this requirement, 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 meets the requirement for certification as dental radiographers.
• English Language Proficiency: Dental hygienist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

Grade Determinations : Dental Hygienist, GS-10 (Advanced Clinical)

Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that is directly related to the position being filled fully meets the KSAs at that level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-09 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of medical assessment techniques including interviewing and evaluating clinical findings (e.g. normal and critical lab values) to adapt treatment based on medical and psychological issues.
2. Advanced knowledge of oral and dental anatomy including root anatomy, common pathologies and anomalies, and indications for advanced radiographic imaging and proper technique to detect potential abnormalities.
3. Knowledge of medical treatment adjuncts and indications and the ability to safely administer medicaments (e.g. intrasulcular medicaments, local anesthesia, sulcular lavage, applying and removing periodontal surgical dressing).
4. Knowledge of advanced adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, indication for use and ability to utilize safely (e.g. sonic, magnetostrictive ultrasonic, and piezo ultrasonic scalers).
5. Skill in providing safe and thorough prophylaxis, root planing and soft tissue curettage for complex periodontal and/or restorative cases and skill in providing safe care for patients with complex medical/psychiatric issues.
6. Ability to apply adult education techniques/methods, organize curriculum, judge cognitive ability, and provide healthcare education regarding relationships between medical and dental pathologies to groups, interdisciplinary staff, and other outside contacts.

Preferred Experience: Experience with the administration of local anesthesia is preferred, but not required.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-10. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-10.

Physical Requirements: . See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

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, 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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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