Dental Assistant
Location: Omaha Nebraska
Description: Department Of Veterans Affairs is currently interviewing Dental Assistant right now, this career will be placed in Nebraska. More details about this career opportunity please read the description below. Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 877795
To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and h! onoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
Important: Current permanent VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System employees will be given first consideration. Note: Relocation expenses are NOT authorized.
NOTE: External candidates eligible for veterans preferenc! e will receive consideration prior to considering external non! -preference applicants. KEY REQUIREMENTS
U.S. Citizenship
Full unrestricted Licensure, Certification, or Registration required.
Must pass pre-employment examination.
Designated and/or Random Drug Testing required.
Background and/or Security Investigation required.
English Language Proficiency required. DUTIES:
This position is located in the Dental Service.
Dental Assistants at this level serve as staff Dental Assistants at the full performance level for more routine patient care and perform some complex patient procedures under general supervision of more experienced Dental Assistants or the Dental Supervisor. The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. Additional duties include, but are not limited to:
Set up operatory for planned dental procedures and cleans dental units for timely turnover, ! passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently and keeps the operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues, prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions, and assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, prosthodontics, endodontics, and periodontics.
Secures digital and other clinical imaging tests as ordered by attending and hourse staff, and assists patients in scheduling appointments.
Plans and completes tasks assigned by the supervising dentist based on established protocols/accepted dental practices.
Informs the supervisor of problems or unusual situations with recommendations for appropriate action.
The Dental Assistant's work is reviewed on an overall basis by the supervisor for conformity to Dental Service policy and requirements.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
BASIC REQUIREM! ENTS:
a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.
b. Expe! rience and Education
(1) Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicantÂ'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 AssociationÂ's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
(3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
c. 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 Radiatio! n 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 des! irable.
(4) Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (D! ANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certifi- cation 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.
d. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification (for positions above the full performance level) that are part of the basic requirements of th! e occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Such employees MUST meet the certificationion] requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional educati! on and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic ! requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
(4) If an employee who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
(1) GS-3
(a) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
(b) Assignment. Employees at this level serve in dental assistant career development positions. It is expected that they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more complex patient issues, and require daily close supervision.
(2) GS-4
(a) 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 AssociationÂ's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(b) 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.
(c) Assignment. Employees at this level serve as developmental staff dental assistants. It is expected that they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more complex patient issues and require daily and direct contact at the site of work from the assigned supervisor. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: receiving and preparing patient for treatment including seating, positioning chair, placing napki! n, performing disinfection and sterilization procedures; performing bas! ic chair side assisting with direct instruction from treating dentist; reporting medical emergencies to dentist; preparing procedural trays/armamentaria set-ups; exposing and processing basic dental radiographs with direct supervision; mounting and labeling dental radiographs and/or saving digital images to the electronic medical record with direct supervision; complying with standard recommendation for equipment maintenance; retrieving all pertinent patient records prior to seating the dental patient; directing patient to appropriate staff for the intent of scheduling visits.
(3) GS-5
(a) Experience or Education
(1) In addition to the requirements listed at GS-4 above, applicants must demonstrate at least 1 year of experience equivalent to at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.
OR,
(2) Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental! assistant program by CODA.
(3) In addition to meeting paragraph (1) or (2) above, the applicant must demonstrate the following KSAÂ's:
(b) 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.
(c) Assignment. Employees at this level serve as staff dental assistants for routine dental procedures. Direct supervision is given for any complex patient procedures from more experienced dental assistants or the treating dentist. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: responds to basic medical emergencies; measures and records vital signs; provides pre- a! nd post-operative instructions; maintains a field of operation during d! ental procedures through the use of retraction, suction, irrigation, drying, placing and removing cotton rolls; using the concepts of four-handed dentistry, assists with basic restorative procedures; mixes basic dental materials; assists in preparation of laboratory prescription forms; applies pressure indicator paste to removable prostheses; exposes and processes basic dental radiographs; mounts and labels dental radiographs and/or saves digital imaging to electronic medical records; evaluates radiographs for diagnostic quality; maintains routine dental equipment per manufacturer and dental service standards.
(4) GS-6 Staff Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level)
(a) 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:
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
1. Ability to identif! y 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
(c) Assignment. Employee serves at the full performance level with the ability to perform full range of duties with some independence in assigned specialties, with indirect supervisio! n from the lead dental assistant, dental assistant supervisor or treati! ng dentist. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: using the concepts of four-handed dentistry; assists with specialty procedures including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration; anticipates surgeons/specialists needs at each stage of treatment; takes preliminary impressions; selects and manipulates a variety of gypsums and waxes; pours, trims and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts; fabricates custom trays.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
References : See VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G36 Title 38 Hybrid Qualifications Standards.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Passing a pre-employment physical is required. Please contact the local human resources office at 402-995-4947 if you would like information regarding the VA policy on pre-employment physicals and physical requ! irements for this position.
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.
Veterans' Preference:
When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application o! r résumé. Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected d! isability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx .
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. You may also be evaluated based upon the question responses you provide during a structured interview. In responding to structured interview questions you should be sure to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outco! me. BENEFITS:
Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, thrift savings plan, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at http://www.va.gov/JOBS/Job_Benefits/benefits.asp . OTHER INFORMATION:
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their ! job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military se! rvice. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.
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If you were eligible to this career, please email us your resume, with salary requirements and a resume to Department Of Veterans Affairs.
If you interested on this career just click on the Apply button, you will be redirected to the official website
This career starts available on: Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:26:59 GMT