Dental Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Temple (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The Central Texas VA Health Care System is seeking a Dental Assistant at the full performance level to support the Clinical Section of Dental. The incumbent performs independently a broader scope of duties with supervision and may supervise a team, with responsibilities spanning radiography, patient education, and procedure support.

Required are a CODA-accredited program or equivalent experience, radiologic certification, and strong English language skills.

Qualifications

• Six months experience or CODA-accredited 1-year program.
• Certification per 42 CFR Part 75 for radiologic procedures.
• DANB certification is highly desirable for higher levels.
• English language proficiency in speaking and writing.

Responsibilities

• Assist with basic restorative procedures.
• Expose and process dental radiographs and manage imaging quality.
• Maintain routine dental equipment per standards.
• Enter and retrieve data in electronic dental records.
• Assist in four-handed dentistry and basic laboratory work.

Skills

Identify normal oral anatomy

Instruments & materials knowledge

Vital signs interpretation

Patient education & referrals

Dental radiography imaging

Dental equipment maintenance

Electronic dental records data entry

Dental laboratory procedures

Education

CODA-accredited 1-year dental assistant program

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Dental Assistant full performance level position within the Clinical Section of Dental at the Central Texas VA Health Care System (CTVHCS). Employees at this level serve at staff dental assistants independently performing more complete work in assigned specialties while receiving general administrative supervision. Employees at this higher level of competency provide a higher scope of complexity and range of variety of duties more than 25% of the time. 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.
• Experience and Education.
  • 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.
  • Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence
    • 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).
  • Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D). Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. This will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employment.
  • Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.
  • 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, and is required for all positions above the full performance level.
• English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

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

GS-06 Experience: At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. Examples 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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:

• Must be able to work under pressure and plan workload without halting operation as a whole while showing initiative in completing priority tasks.
• Experience in supervising a team of employees and providing professional oversight and consultation.
• Experience with Microsoft office, Microsoft Excel, Multi phone line.
• Experience in coordinating clinic workflow and assignments.
• At least 2 plus years' experience as a dental assistant.
• Excellent Customer Service and Communication Skills.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.