Dental assistants at this level serve as expanded-function dental assistants independently performing advanced clinical duties in assigned specialties at least 25% of the time. Higher-level assignments cover greater scope, complexity and variety and require advanced clinical skills.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following: a. Functions and Duties: Performs mouth mirror inspection of the oral cavity; Gathers diagnostic information; Performs pulp vitality testing; Charts existing restoration and conditions; Selects shades for fixed and removable prostheses; Places and removes rubber dams and matrix bands; Places and removes retraction cord; Places and removes intracoronal temporary restoration; Removes temporary crown/bridge and clean tooth preparation of debris; Fabricates, adjusts and cements temporary crowns; Removes permanent cement from supragingival surfaces; Removes sutures; Places and removes surgical dressings; Monitors nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesic; Performs coronal polishing of teeth; Removes hard accretions from and polishes removable prostheses. b. Customer Service Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public; Assists customers with questions or concerns and provides service recovery. c. Chairside Assisting Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover; Possesses advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care; Monitors, and performs basic interpretation of, patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure; Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry; Passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently; 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 routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry; Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration; Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards; Monitors patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure; Applies topical anesthetic at the injection site; Takes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication; Provides procedure-specific, patient-preventative education and oral hygiene instruction; Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration; Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards; Relays patient concerns to treating dentist. d. Dental Imaging Possesses comprehensive knowledge of advanced imaging techniques in order to provide instruction (e.g. cone beam, cephalometric, advanced panoramic imaging, TMJ, etc.); Possesses ability to identify anatomy; Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, cephalometric, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats; Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider; Captures images characterized by diagnostic quality and accurately oriented and exposed; Utilizes dental-imaging safety techniques and retakes are minimized; Accomplishes imaging requests within desired time frame. e. Information Management Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information; Follows computer security regulations. f. Employee Education Complies with Employee Education requirements; Completes mandatory annual training sessions; Maintains DANB certification as required for above full-performance-level dental assisting positions. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am to 4pm Compressed/Flexible:Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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/Experience - Experience. (1) Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. OR, (2) Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Certification - Public Law 9735 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. Alternative 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). Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Certification - Required for all position above the Full Performance level Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). Verification of the certification can be made by going to https://www.danb.org/. The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. English Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: GS-7 Clinical Expanded Function Dental Assistant Experience. At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level or equivalent that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Ability to perform dental assisting expanded functions. Comprehensive working knowledge of advanced imaging techniques in order to provide instruction (e.g. cone beam, cephalometric, advanced panoramic imaging, TMJ, etc). References: VHA 5005, Appendix G36, Dental Assistant Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7.

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

Contacts

• Address Roseburg VA Medical Center 913 Northwest Garden Valley Boulevard Roseburg, OR 97471 US
• Name: Deborah Jackson
• Phone: 208-2498842
• Email: [email protected]