Dental Assistant

Veterans Health Administration

Aspinwall (Allegheny County)

On-site

USD 37,000 - 67,000

Full time

8 days ago

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Job summary

The Dental Assistant position is located at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The incumbent at this level serves as a Dental Assistant at full performance for more routine patient care and performs some complex patient procedures under general supervision of more experienced dental assistants or a dental supervisor.

GS-5 Staff dental assistants for routine dental procedures. Direct supervision is given for any complex patient procedures from more experienced dental

Qualifications

GS-5 Staff dental assistants for routine dental procedures.

Responsibilities

The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision.
Receives and prepares patient for treatment including seating, positioning chair, placing napkin, performing disinfection and sterilization procedures; performing basic chair side assisting with direct instruction from treating dentist.
Exposes and processes basic dental radiographs with direct supervision; mounts and labels dental radiographs and/or saving digital images to the electronic medical record with direct supervision.
Reports medical emergencies to dentist; prepares procedural trays/armamentaria set-ups; maintains routine dental equipment per manufacturer standards.

Job description

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

The Dental Assistant position is located at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The incumbent at this level serve as a Dental Assistant at full performance for more routine patient care and perform some complex patient procedures under general supervision of more experienced dental assistants or a dental supervisor.

Key Responsibilities

The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. 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 napkin, performing disinfection and sterilization procedures; performing basic 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.

GS 5 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- and post- operative instructions; maintains a field of operation during dental 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.

GS-6 Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level) the full performance level with the ability to perform full range of duties with some independence in assigned specialties, with indirect supervision from the lead dental assistant, dental assistant supervisor or treating 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 provider needs at each stage of treatment; takes preliminary impressions; selects and manipulates a variety of impression materials and cements pours, trims and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts; Work Schedule:8:00am-4:30 Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:GS-0681-4-5-6 Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements & 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/.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $36813 – $66999/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-10-23.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.