Dental Assistant

Veterans Health Administration

Fort William Henry Harrison (MT)

On-site

USD 32,000 - 59,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Parental Leave

Retirement Plan

Telework not available

Job summary

The Dental Assistant with the Veterans Health Administration Fort Harrison site supports dentists in direct patient care and performs clinical and clerical tasks under supervision. Work location is Fort Harrison VHA and Billings CBOC.

Key responsibilities include chairside assisting, imaging, infection control, clerical tasks, patient scheduling, and patient education. This role supports varied dental procedures and ensures safety and accuracy in every step.

Qualifications

Dental assistant duties include chairside assisting, imaging, infection control, and clerical tasks.

Responsibilities

Assist dentist in direct patient care and prepare operatory for procedures.
Pass instruments safely and maintain a clean operative field.
Perform dental imaging and ensure safety and accuracy of radiographs.
Schedule appointments and manage patient information per HIPAA.

Skills

Chairside assisting

Dental imaging

Infection control

Clerical functions

Patient safety

Job description

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. Work location is Fort Harrison VHA and Billings CBOC.

Key Responsibilities

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to: Customer Service: Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public. Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery.

Chairside Assisting: 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.

Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, and surgical periodontics.

Dental Imaging: 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.

Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatories. Instruments are properly prepared for sterilization by SPD standards. Instruments are prepared in a manner that does not delay clinical care. Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images.

Clerical Functions: Assists patients in scheduling appointments. Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. Information Management: Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information. Patient Safety: Modifies care as necessitated by patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position) Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients Participates in patient identification and time out per JCAHO requirements. Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress. Obtain and records patient vital signs: BP, pulse, and pulse oximeter at the beginning of the dental appointment.

Dental Laboratory Functions: Pours impressions and prepares study models. Makes final denture impression trays and prepares bite rims. Direct Patient Care: Remove sutures and removal of periodontal surgical dressing. Impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication. Remove temporary crown/bridge and clean tooth preparation of debris. Recement and fabricate temporary crowns. Coronal polishing of teeth. Place rubber dams and matrix bands. Provides post-operative and other appropriate patient education

Benefits

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 436-53270-A, 436-53271-A, 436-53272-A, 436-53273-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Available for highly qualified applicants.

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 $32435 – $59031/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-09-30.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Competitive' hiring path.