Summary This Dental Assistant position is located at the Bay Pines Healthcare System, Bay Pines, FL. The dental assistant is an integral member of the dental treatment team and assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical, dental laboratory and administrative/clerical functions independently of direct supervision. Responsibilities The Dental Assistant provides dental assistance with general dentistry specialty procedures including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration services to the Veteran population enrolled in the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Duties and responsibilities of the Dental Assistant include, but are not limited to: Proficiently provides procedures commonly recognized by the dental profession for safe performance by a dental assistant: fourhanded chair-side dental assisting, dental lab procedures, and performing other such procedures as may be delegated by the dentist consistent with the Florida State Dental Practice Act. Complies with all Patient Safety processes: Infection control, patient identification, time-out, iMed (informed) consent, medication reconciliation, and hand-off communication. Follows standard operating procedures for all reusable medical equipment (RME), instruments, materials, and personal protective equipment (PPE) in use in the dental clinical areas. Keeps patients informed of clinic delays by directly communicating with patients when treatment will not commence within 10-minutes of the patient's scheduled appointment time. Prepares the operatory with all needed equipment, materials and supplies for planned dental procedure(s) prior to seating the patient and cleans operatory after the patient is dismissed for timely turnover. Performs and records patient's blood pressure, pulse, and medical history; recognizes patient signs of physical distress and monitors patients' condition during treatment. Captures and saves diagnostic quality digital radiographs of the mouth, gums, jaws, and/or teeth --- both intraoral and extraoral --- within the desired time frame. Anticipates the dentist's need at each stage of the treatment procedure, including specialty procedures (in oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implant placement and retention), and makes instrumentation and/or materials readily available, whether in the dental clinic, operating room, or the patient's bedside. Employs proper techniques and dexterity in the practice of four-handed dentistry. Keeps the operative field clear of debris and improves access by effectively and comfortably retracting the tongue and/or oral tissues. Prepares and mixes dental materials per manufacturer's instructions. Applies cavity bases and liners, desensitizing agents, fluoride (foam, gel or varnish), tooth conditioners/bonding agents and topical anesthesia prescribed by dentist to specified areas of the oral cavity. Places and removes: matrix bands, mylar strips, retraction cord, rubber dams, and temporary restorations. Fabricates temporary acrylic, stainless steel and polycarbonate crowns. Removes crown/bridge temporaries and cleans the prepared tooth of debris. Removes sutures, periodontal dressings and socket (post-extraction) dressings. Irrigates extraction sites. Provides coronal polishing of natural teeth (including removing cement and debris from teeth and restorations). Provides accurate and understandable procedure-specific patient education including preventive dental care practices, care of prosthetic appliances, demonstration of oral health care regimens and post-operative/restorative instructions. Relays patient concerns to the treating dentist. Makes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions used to fabricate custom trays. Maintains instrument, operatory, radiography and dental laboratory infection control and accomplishes all procedures in compliance with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards for clinical and laboratory dental operations. Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps and water lines. Performs unit water quality testing as scheduled. Has a working knowledge of laboratory procedures, materials and methods, including sfety and proper handling of laboratory equipment. Performs dental laboratory duties: cleans and polishes dentures and other prosthetic appliances; pours and! trims dental stone models; constructs custom impression trays; fabricates bite rims and vacuum-formed stints, soft mouth guards and fluoride trays. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21782F Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications 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 VA policy. Basic Experience and/or 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), OR 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). *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. *Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in Veterans Health Administration (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. Dental Assistant GS-6 (Full Performance Level) 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 which are; 1. Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality. 2. Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.. 3. Basic knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures. 4. Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA. 5. Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol. In addition, a GS-6 the candidate must demonstrate the following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 1. Ability to identify normal oral anatomy. 2. Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures. 3. Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs. 4. Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist. 5. Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats. 6. Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry. 7. Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records. 8. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work include moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), heavy carrying (45 lbs. and over), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, good distant vision in one eye, ability to hear whisper voice. There is moderate walking (3-4 hrs.) and some extended periods of standing (3-4 hrs.). The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-6. References: VA Handbook 5005/46, Part II, Appendix G36, Dental Assistant Qualification Standard Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process, you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.