The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Set up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and clean dental unit for timely turnover Pass instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently Keep operative field clear of debris and retract oral tissues effectively and comfortably Prepare dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions Accomplish all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols Assist in routine general dental procedures using concepts of fourhanded dentistry Assist in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration Maintain both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards Expose both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, ceph,) untraditional and/or digital formats Modify settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized Imaging requests are accomplished within the desired time frame Demonstrate proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories Maintain dental equipment in a clean and operative condition Debride and decontaminate instruments, materials and equipment Properly prepare instruments for transfer to SPS for sterilization Follow all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment Demonstrate proper infection control procedures in exposing images Support and follow all infectious disease policies Assist in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments Initiate computerized progress note Assist dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records Maintain patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information Follow computer security regulations Modify care as necessitated by patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position) Provide accurate and understandable instructions to patients Participate in patient identification and time out per Joint Commission requirements Monitor patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress Comply with Employee Education requirements Complete mandatory annual safety training sessions Pour impressions and prepares study models Make final denture impression trays and prepares bite rims Fabricate athletic mouth guards and bleaching trays Perform other dental laboratory functions as time and skill levels allow Monitor patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure Apply topical anesthetic at the injection site Apply topical fluoride Make impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication Remove plaque and soft debris from removable prostheses Provide patient preventative education and oral hygiene instruction Provide post-operative and other appropriate patient education Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed Tour: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Experience and Education. 1. Experience. 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). 3. Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. 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. 1. Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence (a) Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. OR (b) 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 (c) Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD). 2. 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. 3. Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. 4. Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certification is not required, but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level, and is required for all positions above the full performance level. 5. Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to obtain licensure/certification/registration within the required time frame, or who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification/registration must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. 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 DETERMINATIONS. GS-3 Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-4 Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, 1 year of experience at the next lower level. OR 2 years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSA's. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1. Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling. 2. Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies. 3. Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval. 4. Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment. 5. Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements. GS-5 Experience or Education. In addition to the requirements listed at GS-4 above, applicants must demonstrate at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. OR Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA. In addition to meeting one of the paragraphs above, the applicant must demonstrate the following KSA's. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1. Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality. 2. Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement. 3. Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures. 4. Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA. 5. Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol. GS-6 (Full Performance Level) Experience. At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1. Ability to identify normal oral anatomy. 2. Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures. 3. Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs. 4. Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist. 5. Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats. 6. Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry. 7. Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records. 8. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures. Note: To receive full consideration at the GS-4, 5, and 6 levels, you must clearly describe how you meet these KSAs in your resume; we cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Certified Dental Assistant, Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), Adult/Geriatric patient care experience. FORMER VA HANDBOOK REFERENCE: PART II APPENDIX G36 EFFECTIVE DATE: APRIL 19, 2011 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Light lifting & carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (1 hour), standing (1 hour), near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid may be permitted).

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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Randi Tran
• Phone: 509-434-7000 X6680
• Email: [email protected]