The Licensed Dental Hygienist will provide dental oral hygiene and ancillary dental services to the Veteran population at the Lexington VA Medical Center.

Duties

The Licensed Dental Hygienist may perform the following duties when assigned or delegated to the dental hygienist by a dentist: Dental prophylaxis, Scaling and root planning, Sub-gingival curettage. Exposure of radio graphs, including digital, of the mouth, gums, jaws, teeth or any portion thereof for dental diagnosis Application of topical fluorides including varnishes Provides patient education including demonstration of oral hygiene procedures and oral health care regimens Taking and recording of a patient's blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and medical history and charting of oral conditions Serving as chairside dental assistant Maintenance of instrument and operatory infection control in compliance with Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards for clinical and laboratory dental operations including the testing of water quality Preparation of instrument trays Removal of cement from restorations and bands Placement and removal of periodontal dressings Taking alginate impressions for any purpose other than permanent restorations Prepares, mixes dental materials including impression materials per manufacturer's instructions. Holding and removal of impression material after placement in the patient's mouth by the Dentist Removal of excess cement from the surfaces of the teeth, Sulcular irrigation with antimicrobial agents if prescribed by the supervising dentist. Application of desensitizing agents, Application of topical anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agents, Irrigating extraction site Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps and water lines. Maintains the evacuation system per manufacturer's instructions. Tests unit water quality as scheduled. Chart clinical findings and treatment plan in the Dental Record Manager (DRM) component of the computerized patient medical record (CPRS). Is in compliance with patient identification, time-out and reusable medical equipment processes. Recognizes patient signs of physical distress and monitors the patient's condition during treatment. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm Monday-Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:30361F Relocation/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). 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. 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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. 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). Preferred Certification: Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification: Successfully completed Basic Life Support certification. 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 Requirement : Creditable Experience Knowledge of Current Professional Dental Hygienist Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (also referred to as "clinical competencies") associated with current professional dental hygiene practice. Evidence of such experience includes experience in private practice, U. S. military services, local/state/federal health care or educational facilities. Quality of Experience. Experience as a dental hygienist in private practice, U.S. military services, local/state/federal health care or educational facilities must be verified with the practitioner or the supervising officers. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice which may be paid or non-paid employment as a dental hygienist. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a dental hygienist is credited according to its relationship to full-time work week. For example, a dental hygienist would receive 1 week of full-time credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work.Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Grade Determinations:GS-9 Dental Hygienist (Full Performance Level)Experience. At least 1 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-8 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Ability to assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities for safe patient care. 2. 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. 3. Skill in detecting plaque and calculus, dental abnormalities/pathologies, assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure. 4. Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application. 5. Knowledge of hygiene procedures in order to explain the process and indication, complications and expected treatment outcomes for each. 6. Knowledge of proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films. 7. 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. Assignments. Employees at this level serve as staff dental hygienists at the full performance level. It is expected that they provide direct patient care and receive guidance from higher-level or supervisory staff members for only the most complex patients and require only general supervision from a dentist. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: patient medical assessment (e.g. medical/dental history, social history, vital signs, full periodontal assessment and charting), disease and treatment management recommendations, denture care, scaling and root planning, radiographs/image interpretation, patient education (e.g. post-procedure, tobacco cessation, caries and perio-disease prevention), behavior management, management of stable medically compromised patients (including risk factors), instrument sharpening, inter-service communication. References: MAY 12, 2014 VA HANDBOOK 5005/73 PART II APPENDIX G37 II-G37 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-09. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs. or over), Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), Light lifting (15 lbs. and under), Light carrying (15 lbs. and under), Pushing (1 hour), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingertips, Both Hands required, Walking (up to 4 hours), Standing (up to 8 hours), Kneeling (up to 2 hours), Repeated bending (up to 6 hours), Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16", Hearing (aid permitted).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).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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:

• Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
• 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.]

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.

• 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.
• Non-certified individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a certified dental hygienist at or above the full performance level.
• Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
• Temporary appointments of non-certified dental hygienist may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.
• 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.

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:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 Lexington VA Health Care System 2250 Leestown Road Lexington, KY 40511 US
• Name: Kendall Bedell
• Phone: 570-550-2839
• Email: [email protected]