This position is in the Dental Service, at the Charles George VAMC, located in Asheville, NC. The incumbent functions as a fully qualified and experienced technician and advice is sought on a regular and recurring basis by the staff dentists. An in-depth knowledge of a full range of Dental Laboratory Services and Functions are expected while performing the duties of this position.

Duties

The Dental Laboratory Technician performs technical work in the fabrication and repair of both conventional and complicated dental prosthetic appliances that conform to the dentist's prescription, restore mastication, facilitate normal speech, maintain or correct facial dimension and contour, are natural in appearance, and can be worn or used with maximum comfort. Duties include, but not limited to: Designs and fabricates very complex dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances. This involves ( 1) working with dental and medical specialists in developing the design of the appliance, (2) personally fabricating the appliance, and (3) resolving problems in its fabrication. Reproduce dentures with a high degree of precision and accuracy; carefully record the relationship of teeth and ridge; remove teeth from dentures, reposition and wax teeth for processing. Provide recommendations, which may be accepted and incorporated, into the patient treatment plan without significant modification. Also consults in the laboratory concerning the follow-up actions with ongoing cases. Provides on-the-job training and basic dental laboratory instruction to special individuals ( dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental students and residents) assigned on an intermittent basis for understudy or training in terminology, morphology, oral anatomy, dental materials and use of tools and equipment. Communicate with patients about concerns regarding the esthetics of their present prosthesis. Make a recommendation concerning possible corrections to the dentist(s). These recommendations are also generally accepted and incorporated without significant modification. Performs other duties, as assigned. Work Schedule: Week 1: Monday-Thursday 7:00AM-5:30PM; Week 2: Tuesday-Friday 7:00AM-5:30PM. Compressed/Flexible: Yes Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. 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, 3/25/2024. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-8. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials. Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment. Use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers. Construction of dental prosthetic appliances. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two full years of graduate education or a master's degree that is directly related to the work of this position as a Dental Lab Technician. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have successfully completed graduate education beyond the first 18 semester hours that is directly related to the work of this position as a Dental Lab Technician and specialized experience, as described above. Preferred Experience: Performs total fabrication of full or partial dentures, and/or dental splints. Repositions and waxes teeth for processing. Finishes, polishes, heats, treats and fits metal onto the master case. Reproduces dentures with a high degree of precision and accuracy. Bends wroughtwire clasps and bars to conform to the case design outlined upon the surveyed cast. Construct and fabricate bite raisers, cleft plate obturators, fracture splints, immediate dentures, surgical template, and orthodontic appliances. Submits articulated casts for partial denture framework fabrication and articulated die systems upon receipt of the cast framework. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationEye-Hand CoordinationQuality AssuranceTechnical 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: Work requires some bending, stooping, lifting of supplies and long periods of standing. The work is generally performed in a dental laboratory separated from the dental operatory. Will be required to wear safety glasses to minimize possible hazards during fabrication of prosthetic appliances and comply with other OSHA safety regulations. 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

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 Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: Christina Trull
• Phone: 828-318-6521
• Email: [email protected]