The supervisory dental hygienist is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of dental auxiliary staff. They have full supervisory responsibility over a section or equivalent work unit, but may also be delegated full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the dental auxiliary staff activities for the service or equivalent unit at an independent outpatient clinic.

Duties

Customer Service: Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers, and the public Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery. Patient Care: Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently. Performs dental prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance procedures using hand and ultrasonic instruments to include gross debridement, curettage, scaling & root planning, tooth polishing & application of topical fluoride solutions. Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable. Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the doctor for additional care when needed. Applies desensitizing and sealant materials Administers localized antimicrobial agents in periodontal pockets when indicated. Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays. Administers topical and/or local anesthetic agents (per state license) Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection control protocols. Conducts head and neck examinations and complete intraoral inspection of the hard and soft tissue and seeks consultation with dentist to assess abnormal findings. Keeps operatory supplied with all necessary equipment, instruments and disposable supplies needed for the proper treatment of patients. . Patient Education: Provides patient education appropriate to the veteran's needs and oral condition Prepares and provides individual and group oral health care instruction to inpatients, outpatients, and caregivers . Dental Imaging: Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed. Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized. Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization: Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatory. Instruments are properly prepared for sterilization by SPD standards. Maintains integrity of instruments with proper routine sharpening and maintenance per manufacture instructions. Instruments are prepared in a manner that does not delay clinical care Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images. Wear appropriate protective attire and assure that the patient is provided eye protection during procedures. Clerical Functions: Assists patients in scheduling appointments via VA scheduling software. Assists in filling gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. Charts findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in patient records. Accurately codes for type of treatment administered, electronically, by way of VA charting system. Information Management: Maintains patient confidentiality per HIP AA with written and verbal information. Follows computer security regulations. Patient Safety: Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position). Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients. Participates in patient identification and time out per JCAHO requirements. Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress. Performs procedures, such as medical and dental history review to search for evidence of past and present conditions which may complicate or alter dental hygiene treatment. Employee Education: Complies with Employee Education requirements. Completes mandatory annual safety training sessions. Prepares and presents monthly Safety Training to Dental Service Staff. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:SUPERVISORY DENTAL HYGIENISTPD000000

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: To qualify for appointment as a dental hygienist, all applicants must possess the following: a. Citizenship. Be a Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. b. 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: (1) Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). (2) [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. c. Licensure/Certification (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Exceptions for Non-Certified Dental Hygienist. (a) 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), Temporary Full-Time Appointments, Part-Time Appointments and Without-Compensation Appointments for a Period Not to Exceed Two Years. (b) Non-certified individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a certified dental hygienist at or above the full performance level. (c) Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (d) Temporary appointments of non-certified dental hygienist may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. (e) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, dental hygienists must actively pursue meeting requirements for certification starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the dental hygienist supervisor will provide the dental hygienist with the written requirements for licensure/certification, including the time by which the licensure/certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Management officials will remove dental hygienists from their positions who fail to obtain licensure/certification during this time period, which may result in termination of employment (4) Loss of Credential. Management officials will remove dental hygienists from their positions who fail to maintain the required licensure/certification, which may also result in termination of employment. d. 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. (5) 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. e. 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. f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. g. English Language Proficiency. Dental hygienist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f). Grade Determinations: GS-10 Experience. At least one year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-9 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): i. Advanced knowledge of dental hygiene and/or dental assisting across multiple types of dental practice to provide guidance and training to dental auxiliary staff; ii. Skill in coordinating clinical workflow and work assignments; iii. Ability to develop policy, manage equipment requests and provide workload analysis in Dental Clinic operations; iv. Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team leaders, and managers; v. Ability to analyze clinically appropriate data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within service; and *vi. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; competency assessments; performance evaluations; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. References: VA Handbook 5005/146 PART II APPENDIX G37 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-10. Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, walking and bending are required.

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 VA Nebraska-Western Iowa HCS - Omaha 4101 Woolworth Avenue Omaha, NE 68105 US
• Name: Divya Gupta
• Email: [email protected]