This Dental Assistant position is located in the Dental Service at the Bedford, MA location. This position is a Full-Time position at 40 hours per week.

Duties

Serves as staff dental assistant at the full performance level for routine patient care and performs a full range of duties with indirect supervision from supervisory dental assistant or the treating dentist. Performs assigned selected procedures with independence. Duties include but are not limited to: Customer Service

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. English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English. Experience and Education - one of the following: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence - one of the following: Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. 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. Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD). Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D). Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. This [will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employment. Note: 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. GS-6 Dental Assistant Grade Determination (Full Performance Level). A. Experience. At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. B. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Ability to identify normal oral anatomy. Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic, and periodontal care, and procedures. Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs. Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist. Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats. Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry. Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/46. PART II APPENDIX G36 Dated April 19, 2011 Physical Requirements: Stand for long periods of time, use hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

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 VA Bedford Healthcare System 200 Springs Road Bedford, MA 01730 US
• Name: Mary Dignard
• Phone: 401-774-1269
• Email: [email protected]