This position is located in the Dental Laboratory of the VA Medical Center in Tampa, FL.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Performs total fabrication of both fixed/semi-fixed restorations, full/removable partial dentures, orthodontic appliances and/or dental splints and obturators; Observes dental abnormalities presenting retention and design problems requiring special treatment planning and suggestions; Makes recommendations to be incorporated into patient treatment plans; Advises in the design of unique prothesis for trauma and cancer patients where oral tissue is mutilated or missing; Constructs wrought wire buccal arm clasps to reduce tension on teeth and prolong their life; Constructs acrylic esthetic replacements for gingival tissue removed during surgery to enhance patient self-image; Researches the best materials for use in laboratory procedures; Provides on-the-job training and basic dental laboratory instruction to hygienists, assistants, aids, volunteers, and students; Designs and constructs teaching models of different prosthetic appliances to demonstrate how proper principles of construction are incorporated into the final product; Waxes, invests, boils out, cures, and de-flasks acrylic bases for partial and complete dentures; Blocks out master casts and waxes complete dentures for try-in according to dentist prescriptions to check final tooth arrangement, appearance, and speech function; Shapes wax to contours desired in final dentures, with the thickness required to maintain facial contours, ensure comfort, and provide proper fit; Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues; Removes excess wax and smooths and polishes surfaces while exercising extreme care at all stages of fabrication as to not disturb the position of the artificial teeth; Reproduces dentures with a high degree of precision and accuracy by recording the relationship of teeth and ridge, removing teeth from dentures, and repositioning and waxing teeth for processing; Removes excess acrylic from dentures, grinds and selects methods to simulate contours of natural tissue polishes dentures carefully to remove scratches, and preserves anatomical borders developed by the dentist; Bends wrought wire clasps and bars to conform to the case design outlined upon the surveyor's cast; Tempers and shapes metal with various types of pliers into various component parts to be assembled, encased, and fused together with gold solder; Finishes, polishes, heats, treats, and fits metal onto the master case; Submits articulated casts for partial denture framework fabrication to the central dental laboratory, and upon receipt of the cast framework, adds saddle areas with the teeth and processes partial dentures as previously outlined; Fabricates crown, inlays, and fixed partial dentures from gold alloys, porcelain, or acrylic materials, alone or in combination, according to the requirements of the case; Selects the appropriate porcelain or acrylic facings of proper shade, size, and shape; Articulates casts, adapts wax to die, and carves patterns to proper anatomical contour and occlusion; Provides cutout space for veneers on facial surfaces where required, selects and adapts porcelain facings using a high degree of precision; Constructs and fabricates bite raisers, cleft palate obturators, fracture splints, immediate dentures, surgical template, and orthodontic appliances; Orders and stocks laboratory supplies, performs preventive maintenance on all equipment; and maintains records of work performed; Performs related duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.

Requirements

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GS-08: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience includes: 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; and using precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; construction of dental prosthetic appliances. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~OR~ One and a half years (27 semester hours) of graduate education that is directly related to the work of this position. One year of full-time graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one 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. ~OR~ An equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Only education in excess of one year of graduate education can be used to qualify at the GS-08 grade level. Your experience must be detailed, and transcripts required. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Analytical ThinkingApplies Technology to TasksMedicine and DentistryQuality AssuranceTechnical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work of this position requires bending and utilizing arms, hands, and fingers in the very precise manner needed for the demands of dental technology. Visual acuity and color discrimination is very important because of the exacting requirements of the work. The ability to lift 50 pounds is required. Safety clothing/equipment and compliance with safety regulations is required to minimize the hazard involved in the fabrication of prosthesis appliances. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address James A Haley Veterans Hospital 13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Tampa, FL 33612 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]