The incumbent performs a wide range of intra-oral dental procedures and provides chairside assistance in the clinic and operating room setting. Performs reversible intra-oral procedures associated with various phases of restorative, prosthodontic and maxillofacial prosthetic, periodontal, endodontic, orthodontic, and surgery procedures. Employees at this level serve as Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) in Miami VA Facility.

Duties

a. Provide EFDA Functions as permitted by Florida Law and VA Policy b. Assists in routine general dental procedures c. Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover d. Passes and handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently to the dentist e. Pours study models and makes custom trays f. Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably g. Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions. h. Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols i. Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics and surgical periodontics j. Assists in general and provisional restorations. k. Applies desensitizing and sealant materials l. Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays and Administers topical anesthetic agents m. Performs the full range of dental digital radiography. Takes radiographs of in patients and out-patients according to prescription, including periapical, bitewing, occlusal, panoramic, cephalometric, facial series, mandibular series, and temporomandibular joint tomographs. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement . United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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 Dental Accreditation (CODA). 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). 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 appointment. This [will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employment. Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification (for positions above the full performance level) that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. GS-3 Grade Determination Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment. Employees at this level serve in dental assistant career development positions. It is expected that they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more complex patient issues, and require daily close supervision. GS-4 Grade Determination: 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: 1. Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling. 2. Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies. 3. Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval. 4. Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment. 5. Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements. GS-5 Grade Determination: 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 level. OR, Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1. Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality. 2. Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement. 3. Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures . 4. Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA. 5. Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol. GS-6 Grade Determination: Experience: At least 1 year of experience [equivalent to] the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs : Demonstrated 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 References: VA Handbook 5005 /15 Part II Appendix G36, March 17, 2006 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS- 6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work include moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), heavy carrying (45 lbs. and over), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, good distant vision in one eye, ability to hear whisper voice. There is moderate walking (3-4 hrs.) and some extended periods of standing (3-4 hrs).

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: Joselyne Figueroa-Cruz
• Phone: 787-600-0438
• Email: [email protected]