Dental Hygienist

Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System; Marion (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bureau of Prisons is seeking a licensed Dental Hygienist committed to fostering a secure environment and ensuring public safety. The selected candidate will provide essential dental care and education, supporting individual reentry into the community. A comprehensive benefits package is available to federal employees.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Job stability as a federal employee

Qualifications

• Must be currently licensed to practice as a dental hygienist.
• Experience in preventive dentistry and oral hygiene education required.
• Must submit evidence of X-ray certification.

Responsibilities

• Providing oral health care and education to patients.
• Performing procedures like exams and X-rays.
• Establishing dental health programs for community education.

Skills

Preventive dentistry

Oral hygiene techniques

Radiologic procedures

Patient education

Dental assisting functions

Education

License to practice dental hygiene

Job description

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following:

Basic Requirements:

Licensure: Must be currently licensed to practice as dental hygienists in a State or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, they must (l) 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 (2) be certified as radiographers in their field. The following meet these requirements:

1. Persons employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel prior to the effective date of the regulation (January 13, 1986) who show evidence of current or fully satisfactory performance or certification of such from a licensed practitioner such as a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, or chiropractic who prescribes radiologic procedures to others.
2. Persons first employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel after the effective date of the regulation who (a) received training from institutions in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not accredit training in that particular field at the time of graduation, or (b) practiced in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not license that particular field or did not allow special eligibility to take a licensure examination for those who did not graduate from an accredited educational program, provided that such persons show evidence of training, experience, and competence as determined by OPM or the employing agency.

NOTE: ALL applicants MUST submit proof of current, active and unrestricted license for verification. Applicants MUST ALSO submit evidence of completing a program that certifies them to administer X-rays or perform radiologic procedures. Evidence of program completion includes a transcript or documentation that includes your course work in administering X-rays or performing radiologic procedures. Self-certification of program completion will not be accepted. Your documentation MUST be uploaded at the time you apply to the vacancy announcement.

AND

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must also have:

Education:

GL-07 and GL-08: There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.

OR

Experience:

GS-07 and GL-08: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GL-07:

• Experience in preventive dentistry, general and oral anatomy, physiology, histology, nutrition, dental materials and instruments, dental hygiene techniques and principles.
• Experience performing procedures including prophylaxis, examinations of the oral cavity, taking and interpreting x-rays for presence of calculus, and providing oral health care instructions to patients and the health services staff.
• Experience in dental office procedures, including basic dental assisting functions such as positioning of patients, dentist, and assistant, preparing instrument trays, mixing dental materials, and disinfecting and sterilizing the instruments.

GL-08:

• Experience in performing oral prophylactic care and in providing oral health educational services to patients.
• Experience exposing, processing, and mounting intraoral and extra oral x-rays, including bite wings, periapical, occlusal, and panoramic films.
• Experience instructing patients, individually and in groups, in proper oral hygiene care using materials such as teeth models, displays, disclosing solutions, toothbrushes, and floss.
• Experience establishing dental health programs to educate various community groups which include the general population and medically compromised patients (cardiac, psychiatric, physically handicapped, diabetic, hypertensive, and immunosuppressed).
• Experience providing therapeutic and preventive procedures for patients by performing expanded duty functions including reversible restorable procedures, post-op treatment and suture removal.
• Experience preparing patients for periodontal surgery by performing deep scaling and root planning therapy, recording pocket depth and severity of disease, and providing proper post-op care.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application. **