Dental Assistant

Summary The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently with direct supervision. 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 PolicyExperience and Education Experience: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work - or provides familiarity with the workOR Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation [(CODA)]Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifyingCertification: Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75Essentially - 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 fieldProvisions 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 DentistryOR 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 appointmentThis [will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employmentCertification in basic life support methods is highly desirableCertification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental AssistantsDANB certification is not required - but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance levelEnglish Language Proficiency: Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2 - section D - paragraph 5a - this partMay 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 Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidatesGS-3 Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirementsGS-4 Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements - 1 year of experience at the next lower level -OR 2 years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation [(CODA)]In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling Basic knowledge of dental procedures and [medical emergencies Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval Basic knowledge of maintenance - care and storage of dental equipmentBasic knowledge of patient privacy requirements GS-5 Experience or Education In addition to the requirements listed at GS-4 above - applicants must demonstrate] at least 1 year of experience [equivalent to] at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that levelOR Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by [CODA In addition to meeting paragraph (1) or (2) above - the applicant must demonstrate the following KSA's: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities Knowledge of anatomy and [ability to evaluate diagnostic quality] Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement [Basic] knowledge of instruments - materials and standardized dental procedures Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA [Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol] GS-6 [Staff Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level)] Experience: At least 1 year of experience [equivalent to] the next lower grade level (GS-5) that demonstrates the core competencies described at that leveln addition - the candidate must demonstrate the [following] technical KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities Ability to identify normal oral anatomyAdvanced knowledge of instruments - materials - and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative - surgical - endodontic and periodontal care and proceduresAbility to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signsAbility to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentistAbility to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formatsAbility to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistryAbility to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental recordsAbility to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory proceduresReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06 Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this positionQuestions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Duties Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties: Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unitReceives and prepares for patient treatmentPerforms disinfection and sterilizing proceduresPrepares procedural trays/armamentaria set upsPerforms basic chairside assisting with direct instruction from dentistKeeps operative field free of debris and retracts oral tissues effectivelyAccomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocolsMaintains a field of operation during dental procedures using retraction - suction - irrigation - drying - placing and removing cotton ballsProvides patient-preventative education and oral hygiene instructionExposed and processes basic dental radiographs with direct supervisionMounts and labels dental radiographs or saves digital imaging to electronic medical recordsDirects patient to appropriate staff for scheduling visitsMaintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal informationWork Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pmTelework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized