Summary The Dental Assistant (DA) at the GS-3 level will be performing at the entry level. The DA at GS-4 level will be performing at the developmental level. The DA at GS-5 level will be performing at the intermediate level. The DA at GS-6 level will assist the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and perform other clinical and clerical functions (depending on the grade) under direct supervision or with minimal supervision of the dentist, lead assistant, or supervisory assistant. Responsibilities If you are not a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply CBST-12806056-25-LC. Duties include but are not limited to: - Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery. - Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. - Passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently. - Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably. - Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions. - Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols. - Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four handed dentistry. - Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, and periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration. - Exposures both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, ceph, cone beam) in digital format. - Modifies settings to achieve images 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. - Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories. - Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. - Initiates computerized progress note- Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm. Monday to Friday, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00606F. 00607F. 00681F. 00609F. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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 in accordance with Dental Assistant Qualification Standard Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. OR Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation (CODA). 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. Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.; OR, 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, Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD). 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: Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Dental Assistant GS-3: Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Dental Assistant 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). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling. Basic knowledge of dental procedures and [medical emergencies. Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval. Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment. Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements. Dental Assistant 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] at 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of anatomy and [ability to evaluate diagnostic quality. Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement. Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures. Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA. Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol. Dental Assistant 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. 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. Preferred Experience: At least 3 years of dental assistant experience. Completed a Dental Assistant certification program, Radiology certification. Experience in various areas of Dentistry using the concepts of four-handed dentistry; assists with specialty procedures including restorative, oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement; 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. Expose and produce acceptable diagnostic digital radiographs. Experience using electronic dental record. Basic Life Support Certification. Knowledge of and ability to manage medically compromised patients. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 3 to 6. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. 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/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
