Dental Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Cape Coral (FL); On-site; USD 40,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is hiring a Dental Assistant to support the dental treatment team. The role involves assisting the dentist in patient care, performing clinical and clerical tasks, and working with dental imaging and records systems.

Candidates should have a CODA-accredited one-year program or equivalent experience, and may pursue required radiology certifications. The position emphasizes patient safety and teamwork within VA guidelines.

Qualifications

• 1 year of dental assistant education or experience.
• Evidence of CODA-accredited program is required.
• Equivalent combinations of experience and education qualify.

Responsibilities

• Assist dentist in direct patient care and dental procedures.
• Perform clinical, dental laboratory, and clerical tasks.
• Operate with minimal supervision within the dental team.

Skills

Anatomy knowledge

Vital signs

Emergency care

Dental instruments

Electronic records

Education

CODA-accredited dental assistant program

Tools

Radiography equipment

Electronic dental records

Dental imaging

Job description

This Dental Assistant position is located at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. The dental assistant is an integral member of the dental treatment team and assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical, dental laboratory and administrative/clerical functions independently of direct supervision.

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 chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, of VA Handbook 5005, Qualification Standards.

Basic Experience and/or Education

• Experience: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work,
• 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.;
• 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;
• Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).

***Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certification is not required, but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level.***Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. 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 Determination for Dental Assistant, GS-06 (Full Performance Level)

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met:

Experience:

At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.

Knowledge, skills and abilities at the GS-05 grade level are:

• 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.

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.

Reference:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands of the work include moderate lifting (15-44 lbs), heavy carrying (45 lbs and over), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, good distant vision in one eye, ability to hear whisper voice. There is moderate walking (3-4 hrs.) and some extended periods of standing (3-4 hrs.).