Incumbent serves as Dental Hygienist to the VA Medical Center. Incumbent plans, coordinates and administers a preventive dentistry program to patients, patient groups and staff. The program encompasses dental hygiene treatment and the dissemination of oral health information to nursing home, psychiatric, diabetic, medically and physically compromised and dental outpatients.

Duties

Develops a wide variety of educational materials from various professional resources to be used as displays, lectures and demonstrations. Keeps current in the professional field by attending continuing education courses. Attends service Staff meetings at the hospital. Examines, probes and records periodontal pocket depths. Gives caries prevention treatments, plaque scoring, prophylaxis, sub-gingival scaling and root planning in routine and advanced periodontal disease states. Prepares dental hygiene treatment plans. Gives dietary advice and refers patients to the dentists for restorative and surgical treatment. Coordinates the periodontics recall system, arranging appointments between the dental disciplines. Reviews patient's dental and medical histories. Performs dressing removal, suture removal, irrigation, dressing application, and home care instruction. Exposes, develops, mounts and interprets dental x-rays to determine areas of caries, calculus deposits and periodontal pockets. Cleans, sharpens, maintains, sterilizes instruments and equipment used in the hygiene operatory. Serves as the Veterans Affairs Medical Center instructor and coordinator for the University affiliated Student Dental Hygiene Program. Serves as preceptor for students who rotate through Dental Service. Plans, teaches and manages the clinical phase of instruction for students. Evaluates the effectiveness of the Oral Hygiene/Preventive Program. Keeps records of collected data and reports into the Dental Data System. Makes changes in the preventive program and reports findings at the monthly staff meetings. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. 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. (1) 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. (2) Loss of Credential. A dental hygienist who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a dental hygienist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements 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 grandfathered into the GS-682 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) 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 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. (3) 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. (4) If an employee who was retained as a dental hygienist under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a dental hygienist. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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). 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). Grade Determinations: GS-9 Dental Hygienist (Full Performance Level)Must have at least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level. Examples of experience may 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, management of stable medically compromised patients (including risk factors).In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities for 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; Skill in detecting plaque and calculus, dental abnormalities/pathologies, assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure; Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application; Knowledge of hygiene procedures in order 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; and 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G27The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9.Physical Requirements: Prolonged periods of standing, sitting, reaching, or bending are required to treat patients and give lectures.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 West Tenth Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 US
• Name: Robert Wheaton
• Phone: 317-988-0095
• Email: [email protected]