This position is located in the Oral Dentistry Section at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in Miami Florida, and supports the mission to care for our Veterans with compassion and excellence. The Dental Assistant is charged with performing a wide range of reversible intra-oral procedures associated with various phases of restorative, prosthodontic and maxillofacial prosthetic, endodontic, and surgery procedures. The Miami Healthcare System serves approximately 63,000 Veterans each year.

Duties

The Dental Assistant primary responsibility is to provide direct patient care and perform other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. Additional duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Set up operatory for planned dental procedure and clans dental unit for timely turnover Passes and handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently to the dentist Provide Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) functions as permitted by Florida Law and VA Policy Pours study models and makes custom trays 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 specialized dental procedures, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics and surgical periodontics Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays and administers topical anesthetic agents Maintain current knowledge of VHA Outpatient Scheduling Process Procedures Adhere to safety policies and procedures, and practices occupational safety and health administration OSHA Remains courteous, respectful, and cooperative with patients, management and co-workers Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Expanded Function Dental Assistant GS-681-06 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.(Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3g) Experience and Education: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides familiarity with the work. OR, Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Accreditation. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, 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: 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 Dentistry. OR Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD). Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-06 Candidates Must Have The Following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. Experience must demonstrate the core competencies described at that level. Examples of this experience include: responds to basic medical emergencies; measures and records vital signs; provides pre-and post-operative instructions; maintains a field of operation during dental procedures through the use of retraction, suction, irrigation, drying, placing and removing cotton rolls; using the concepts of four-handed dentistry, assists with basic restorative procedures; mixes basic dental materials; evaluates radiographs for diagnostic quality; and maintains routine dental equipment per manufacturer and dental service standards. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following knowledge, skills and abilities. 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 Preferred Experience: Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. 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 and is required for all positions above the full performance level. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/46, Part II, Appendix G-36, Dental Assistant Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS06.

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 Bruce W Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1201 Northwest 16th Street Miami, FL 33125 US
• Name: Tamica Frazier-Henry
• Phone: 7062317350
• Email: [email protected]