Summary The VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) in Dallas, Texas is seeking a dynamic dentist-executive to serve as the Chief of Dental Service. The Chief serves as a practicing dentist who performs a full range of professional dental procedures in connection with the treatment of commonly encountered dental diseases or dental health problems requiring standard corrective, restorative, or preventive measures. Responsibilities The Chief of the Dental Service directly or indirectly supervises the performance of staff privileged and/or working in Dental Service, The general practice dental officer serves as a practicing dentist who performs a full range of professional dental procedures in connection with the treatment of common encountered dental diseases or dental health problems requiring standard corrective, restorative or preventive measures. While fulfilling his/her role, the Chief of the Dental Service also interacts with staff of other Service Chiefs and/or Assistant Chiefs of Dental Services at other VA' s, staff of the VA Office of Dentistry, with representatives of affiliated institutions, professional organizations, and veterans' groups, and with individual veterans. FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE: The General Dentistry dental officer shall be proficient in all aspects of general dentistry including the ability to perform selected specialty services. Specifically, the provider should possess the expertise and competency to perform the following: Assisting with the continuation of the Service into the primary functions of the Healthcare System. Assisting with the coordination and integration of interdepartmental and intradepartmental services. Establishing and sustaining policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of services. Recommending a sufficient number of qualified and competent persons to provide care/services. Determining the qualifications and competence of Service personnel who provide patient care services and who are not licensed independent practitioners. Continuously assessing and improving the performance of care and services provided. Maintaining quality control programs, as appropriate. Orienting and providing in-service training and continuing education of all persons in the Service in collaboration with staff of other services. Assists with recommending staffing, space, equipment and other resources needed by the Service Participating in the selection of sources for needed services not provided by the Service or Healthcare System. Designating a person to act in his/her absence so that administrative direction is provided at all times. Establishing and assists in implementing patient/resident care policies, personnel policies, and other policies of the Service and WTVAHCS. Evaluating and implementing, as feasible, any recommendations from WTVAHCS committees and consultants. Maintaining ongoing liaison with the governing body, with other clinical staff, and with administrative staff through regularly scheduled meetings and periodic reports. Providing direct patient care consistent with his/her clinical privileges. Make oral and radiographic examinations of the oral cavity. Diagnose pathological or irregular oral conditions. Administer local anesthesia. Perform routine and complex restoration of teeth. Perform simple and complex extractions of teeth. Perform alveoloplasty and other routine surgical procedures. Perform prosthetic dentistry to include immediate dentures, full dentures, partial dentures, crowns, and fixed bridge work. Perform routine endodontic procedures on single and multi-canal teeth. Perform routine and surgical periodontal procedures. Responsible for clinic administration in compliance with VHA, Medical Center and Dental Services Directives, Policies and Procedures. Providing guidance to staff in meeting assigned monitors: Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630 CST with occasional weekend and afterhours work, as needed Telework: Available on an Ad-hoc (as needed) basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly-qualified individual Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. 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. 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 examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Physical Requirements: Light lifting and carrying, under 15 pounds; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; standing, 2 hrs; both legs required: Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously: both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability. See VA Handbook and Directive 5019. Qualifications Dentist 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: Dentists, including residents, appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Education: A degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery or dental medicine resulting from a course of education in dentistry. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are (1) United States and Canadian schools of dentistry listed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation(CODA), in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed.(2) Schools (including foreign schools) accepted by the licensing body of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia as qualifying for full and unrestricted licensure provided the licensure requirements include a written examination measuring science achievement and a performance examination measuring clinical competence certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. ~AND~ Residency Training or Comparable Experience: Completed, or you are currently completing, a residency program in general practice or specialty, or comparable experience as a dentist actively involved in treating medically compromised patients. ~AND~ Licensure and Registration: Currently hold, or will hold, a current, full and unrestricted license to practice dentistry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Note: Dentists must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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/. If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Additional Information This EXTENDED 30-day VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT is scheduled to remain open until February 23, 2026; however, may close sooner if/when Applicant Count reaches 50 applicants. 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.
