This position is in the Dental Service Line located at the Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Healthcare System and Goldsboro within VISN 6 Mid Atlantic Healthcare Network. The incumbent serves as the Dental Laboratory Technician and provides direct laboratory support to Dentists and indirect patient care. S/he designs and fabricates dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances for patients, as well as trains Dental Hygienists, Dental Assistants, volunteers, dental students and dental residents.

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. These 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: Fayetteville Location: Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM (EST); Goldsboro location: Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM (EST) Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Position Description/PD#: Dental Laboratory Technician/PD081710 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Autorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/05/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): Basic Requirement for an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for entry into this occupational series 0683 for positions above the GS-04 grade level, and it is something that cannot be waived. In addition to the education and/or specialized experience below, applicants must meet the IOR for this position. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have experience using dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials; using laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment; using precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; and using construction of dental prosthetic appliances. (Applicant's experience must be documented in detail on resume to receive full credit.) In addition to the the basic requirement for the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) above, applicants may qualify based on experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: Applicant must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal Service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this Dental Laboratory position. Examples of specialized experience include, but are limited to: collaborates and works with dental staff to construct, design, and fabricate dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances; utilizes dental laboratory materials, tools, instruments, and equipment to construct, design, fabricates, and makes adjustments to dental fixtures or appliances; consults with and makes recommendations to patients concerning their complaints regarding the esthetics of any dental prosthesis; researches latest materials and technology associated with prosthesis fabrication, modification or repair of dental prosthesis; and provides training to dental hygienists, dental assistants, volunteers, dental students, and dental residents regarding the use of materials, tools, equipment and techniques involved with dental laboratory duties. (Applicant's experience must be documented in detail on resume to receive full credit.) Education: Applicants must have successfully completed a master's degree; OR successfully completed two (2) full years of graduate level education leading to such a degree that included courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (i.e., Dental Laboratory Technology, Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Pre-Dentistry, Clinical Medical Assisting, Surgical Technology, etc.) in an accredited college, or university. (Note: One-year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.). [TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED] Combination: Applicants must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the of this position, which may be substituted to meet the experience requirements of the position. (Note: Only graduate education beyond the first full year of graduate study (18 semester hours) is qualifying for the GS-09 grade level of this position when combining education and experience.) [For example, an applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level and 2 ½ years of creditable graduate level education of this position. The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education (i.e., the applicant has 1/2 year of graduate study beyond that is required for the GS-09 grade level). Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for this position.]. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Technical 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. It is necessary to climb onto counters in order to replenish plaster bins. The ability to lift plaster boxes weighing 30 pounds from the floor to the counter to the plaster bins is required. Work Environment: Work involves regular and recurring exposure to potential hazards of plaster dust, fire (open flame), chemical exposure (methylmethacrylates, alcohol, polymers, sterilizing agents) and communicable diseases (exposure to blood, saliva, tissue, bone). The lab technician wears face masks, protective glasses, and uses special aseptic techniques when handling impressions or other items that are a potential infection hazard. The assistant works in a clinic setting with some exposure to patients in dental treatment rooms. 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 Fayetteville NC VA Medical Center 2300 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 US
• Name: Kimberly Warfield
• Email: [email protected]