Registered Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

Site of Service: Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Fallon, NV (NMRTUF)

Position Qualification/Requirements:

• Education: Associates Degree or Bachelor's Degree depending on the program.
• Accreditation: Successful completion of a dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association (ADA). Successfully pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE).
• Certification: Certified in radiography as required by 42 CFR Part 75.
• Cardiac Certifications: Must have the following hands-on certification through the American Heart Association or American Red Cross: Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Experience: As required to meet clinical competency requirements specified in the service-specific credentialing instructions.
• Licensure: Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice as a Dental Hygienist in any one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• U.S. Citizenship: Shall be a U.S. citizen
• English Language Requirement: Shall be able to read, write, speak and understand English well enough to effectively communicate with all patients and other health care providers.
• Physical Capability: Shall be physically capable of standing and/or sitting for extended periods of time and physically capable of performing all services required under the contract.

Duties:

• Provide clinical direction to supporting government employees assigned to him or her during the performance of clinical procedures.
• Inspect head and neck, examine mouth, throat and pharynx for evidence of disease such as oral cancer and/or soft tissue pathosis.
• Expose and interpret radiographs to identify tooth structure, periodontal support and other abnormalities such as periodontal bone loss, periapical pathosis, caries, defective restorations, improper tooth contours and contact relationships.
• Refer suspected medical conditions, hard and soft tissue abnormalities, caries, periapical and periodontal pathosis and traumatic or suspicious lesions to the dental officer for evaluation.
• Obtain blood pressure on patients presenting for treatment.
• Perform subgingival scaling, root planning and curettage under local anesthesia administered by a dental officer and perform topical fluoride applications.
• Plan and adapt oral home care techniques to the specific need of the individual patient.
• Monitor, provide technical direction and assist in training dental technicians involved in direct patient care to perform scaling, prophylaxes, polishing procedures, fluoride applications and oral home care instructions. This may include preparing and presenting scheduled lectures to staff.
• Maintain a record of patient treatment and number of patients treated.
• Record oral condition of teeth and supporting tissues, type of therapy provided and progress notes.
• Clean and maintain instruments and ensure their sterility.
• Treat acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.
• Assist in Oral Diagnosis Sick call to include exposing and developing periapical, bitewing and panoral radiographs.
• Clean and maintain the work area to meet the clinic's standards, and may be assigned other duties as directed by the Commanding Officer, consistent with the normal duties of a dental hygienist (not to include mopping, sweeping or taking trash to an industrial dumpster).
• Administration of local anesthesia (infiltration and block anesthesia) is not a required qualification; however, if the appropriate background training and credentials exist, clinical privileges may be granted.

Hours:

• Services shall be provided Monday through Friday, between the hours of 0630 – 1630 hours. No federal holidays.
• Shifts will normally be scheduled for an 8.5 hour to 9-hour period, to include an uncompensated 30-to-60-minute lunch break, respectively.
• In no instance will HCW be required to provide services of more than 80 hours per two-week period.
• Base Down Days: During a planned closure of the facility due to training, closures before or after holidays family down days, Employee will only be compensated for the actual hours worked. If clinic is closed and employee is not able to work, employee will be required to use leave or take LWOP (without penalty).

Special Requirements/Skills:

• Must be comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Must be able and willing to reprioritize on short notice and work on multiple simultaneous projects.
• Flexible and able to work with various personalities. Teamwork skills required.
• Time management skills required. The ability to meet deadlines in a deadline intensive environment is essential.
• High level of adaptability and willingness to embrace change in a fast-paced, demanding environment.

LUKE is an Equal Opportunity employer