Dental Assistant

Summary

The Dental Assistants will be assigned to Dental Service at the Durham NC VA Health Care System. The incumbent will perform complex work in the dental disciplines of restorative, endodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, implantology, and oral surgery while receiving general administrative supervision. Assignments will also include advanced use of the computerized dental patient records system to initiate patient consultations, storing and viewing images for diagnostic data and treatment plans.

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Duties

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Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public.
• Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns and service recovery
• Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover.
• 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.
• Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry.
• Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration.
• Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards.
• Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, ceph, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats.
• Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider.
• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories.
• Disinfects oral appliances to prevent cross contamination.
• Properly prepares instruments for transfer to SPD for sterilization Follows all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment.
• Works closely with SPD to ensure availability of instruments so that clinical care is not delayed.
• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images.
• Utilizes all proper PPE per national and local policies.
• Follows all hospital infection control protocols including hand hygiene .
• Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments.
• Initiates computerized progress note.
• Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records.
• Locates/tracks all pending patient lab cases for use during patient appointments.
• Properly completes all dental laboratory cards.
• Monitors 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 and applies topical fluoride.
• Makes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication.
• Removes plaque and soft debris from removable prostheses.
• Provides patient preventative education and oral hygiene instruction.
• Provides post-operative and other appropriate patient education.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7:00am to 4:30pm.

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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).

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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).

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Telework : Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 00000

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

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 assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

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).

Experience and Education- To fulfill this requirement, you must meet one of the following:

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

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

3. 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). OR
• 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).

• Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certification is not required, but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level.
• Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.

Grade Determinations GS-6:

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-06 you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).
2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). 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 enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.

8. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.

Assignment . Employee serves at the full performance level with the ability to perform full range of duties with some independence in assigned specialties, with indirect supervision from the lead dental assistant, dental assistant supervisor or treating dentist. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: using the concepts of four-handed dentistry; assists with specialty procedures including oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration; anticipates surgeons/specialists needs at each stage of treatment; takes preliminary impressions; selects and manipulates a variety of gypsums and waxes; pours, trims and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts; fabricates custom trays.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum 2 years dental experience and CDA ll or RDA
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Physical Requirements: Must be able to treat patients while sitting or standing. Job requires good hand-eye coordination, working in small spaces and the ability to evaluate and make quick decisions

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

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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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.