Dental Laboratory Technician

Veterans Health Administration; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration in Phoenix is seeking a Dental Laboratory Technician at the full performance level. The role supports the Phoenix VA Healthcare System's Dental Service by preparing and finishing dental prosthetic appliances per dentist prescriptions.

Candidates should have specialized experience with dental materials, precision instruments, and CAD/CAM workflows. Time-in-grade rules apply for federal employment, and incumbents may need to submit SF-50 documents as part of the

Qualifications

• Specialized experience with dental materials and equipment used in labs.
• Experience fabricating crowns, bridges, and prosthetic appliances.
• Education may substitute for experience as described in the notice.
• Familiarity with CAD/CAM workflows is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Fabricate dental prosthetic appliances per dentist prescription.
• Inspect completed work for precision, fit, and conformance to specs.
• Troubleshoot design and material issues during fabrication.
• Operate dental lab equipment and manage materials inventory.

Skills

Dental materials handling

Dental laboratory equipment

Precision instruments

Dental prosthetics fabrication

CAD/CAM experience

Education

Graduate study in dental-related field

Tools

3Shape CAD/CAM

Exocad

Job description

Position

The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the (Phoenix VA Healthcare System, VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the (Dental Service). The primary purpose of the dental laboratory technician is to work on the written order or prescription by the dentist.

Time-In-Grade Requirement

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Individual Occupational Requirements

Individual Occupational Requitements: Specialized Experience for positions at GS-4 and above: Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials.
• Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment.
• Use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers.
• Construction of dental prosthetic appliances.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-08 Specialized Experience

GS-08 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Fabricate acrylic or porcelain crowns, bridges, or facings.
• Inspects completed work for precision, workmanship, and conformity with the prescription.
• Resolve the majority of problems independently while performing a full range of functions required in the construction of (1) porcelain or acrylic fixed or semi-fixed bridge restorations, (2) full or removable partial dentures, or (3) orthodontic appliances, or dental splints and obturators, when the construction of the appliance is complicated because of the unusual nature or intricacy of the design required to overcome acute abnormalities.
• Visualize the relationships of the parts to the whole at each step in the construction process and remain constantly alert to those elements of design and construction that are essential to the fit of the finished appliance OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education and such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education.

Competencies

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Highly desirable experience: Digital platform experience/ CAD CAM experience with 3 shape and/or ExoCad

Physical Requirements

Long periods of standing, sitting and bending are required. It is necessary to replenish plaster bins, and move heavy flasks in processing cases. It is required to move heavy case pans from one area of the lab to another and it is required to use a step stool to check top shelves of case stora