Dental Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Wichita (KS); On-site; USD 38,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The Robert J. D. VA Medical Center in Wichita, KS, is seeking a Dental Assistant to join the VA Dental Service.

The role involves assisting dentists, preparing patients, and maintaining sterile conditions in accordance with VA standards. Applicants must meet basic requirements including US citizenship, English proficiency, and either six months of experience or a CODA-accredited 1-year program; radiologic certification is required.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship and English proficiency required.
• Six months of dental assisting experience OR completion of a CODA-accredited program; combinations also qualify.
• Certification in radiologic procedures per 42 CFR Part 75 is required.

Skills

English proficiency

Education

1-year CODA-accredited dental assistant program

Full four-year CODA dental assisting program

Job description

The Robert J. D. VA Medical Center in Wichita Kansas is seeking a highly qualified candidate for a Dental Assistant position in Wichita.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part
• Experience and Education
  (1) Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. OR,
  (2) Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation [(CODA)].
  OR,
  (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and 2 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.

  (1) Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence

  (a) Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.;

  OR,

  (b) 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,

  (c) Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).

  (2) 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.

Grandfathering Provision

All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification [(for positions above the full performance level)] that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

Grade Determinations

GS-03 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement - None beyond the Basic Requirements.

GS-04 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you must possess one of the following:

• One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-03)

OR

• Two (2) years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

In addition to meeting the experience/education requirements at the GS-04 level, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):

• Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling.
• Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies.
• Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval.
• Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment.
• Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.

GS-05 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-05 you must possess one of the following:

• Possess at least one (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-04) that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.

OR

• Successful completion of a full four (4) year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA.

OR

• You are a current VHA Employee in this occupation and covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard.

In addition to meeting the experience/education requirements at the GS-05 level, you must demonstrate the following KSA's:

• 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.

GS-06 Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level)
Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-06, you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).

In addition to meeting the experience requirements at the GS-06 level, you must demonstrate the following KSA's:

• 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/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.