The New Jersey VA Healthcare System (VA NJHCS) is currently recruiting for one Dental Laboratory Technician within the Dental Service to offer expertise in all procedures related to fabricating dental appliances.

Duties

Some duties of the position are listed below: The incumbent carries forward all the procedures involved in the fabrication of removable prostheses. The incumbent's experience and knowledge of oral anatomy and dentition enables them to fabricate complicated appliances used in the treatment of various abnormalities. In the area of removable complete prostheses, the incumbent boxes and pours models from impressions provided by the staff dentists. The incumbent fabricates impression trays and bite registration appliances, mounts casts in accordance with jaw relationship records formed by the dentists, selects appropriate stock denture teeth or fabricates special acrylic teeth as the case demands arranges these teeth in accordance with the cosmetic and biological requirements of each case, following the dentists prescription. The incumbent carves the denture base in wax, invests, packs and processes the case, de-flasks the denture, rearticulates for post-processing adjustments, perfects final form of the denture and polishes. Repairs, relines and rebases for existing dentures are also routinely performed. In the area of removable partial dentures, all of the above procedures are performed. In the case of wrought wire cases, the incumbent forms by hand; clasps, connectors, occlusal rests, etc., and solders these components in a complete framework. Repairs of existing dentures are also performed. The dental laboratory technician constructs routine full and partial dentures, dental splints and obturators, model work for fixed prostheses and other laboratory products to support the treatment needs of staff dentists. Functions include pouring primary and final impressions; fabricating custom trays; fabricating bite rims; mounting casts on articulators; setting teeth for trial dentures/partials; investing, packing, processing and finishing dentures/partials; polishing prosthesis following adjustment; fabricating night guards; fabricating provisional prostheses; repairing broken prostheses to include soldering; adding teeth to prostheses; fabricating fluoride trays; fabricating stints; fabricating transitional partials, managing overdenture (over natural teeth or implants) fabrication process, and fabricating wrought wire clasps. Performs quality assurance and inspections on prostheses fabricated by outside laboratories, including prescription compliance. The dental technician provides education, training and instruction to other clinic personnel. The technician is also responsible for the daily operation and throughput of dental products with the dental laboratory. The dental technician's understanding of the needs of each provider and their specialty, while also collaborating on a daily basis, is critical for the success of this position. Performs other duties as assigned or required. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Dental Laboratory Technician/PD03546A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/08/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: finishing cast metal partial dentures by inspecting, grinding, shaping, and polishing castings to fit the master cast and verify occlusion; interpreting the dentist's prescription to design partial dentures, selecting clasps and connectors, outlining frameworks, and ensuring stability and fit; fabricating inlays, crowns, and sets of artificial teeth. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Applies Technology to TasksAttention to DetailCommunicationTechnical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, sitting and bending are required. The ability to lift plaster boxes weighing 30 pounds from the floor to the counter to the plaster bins is required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Asaph Blodgett
• Email: [email protected]