Summary You will serve as the Dental Laboratory Technician in the Dental Service located in Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Spokane, WA. This position provides support to Dentist in fabricating fixed and removable appliances. Directly collaborates with an Oral Surgeon, General Dentist or the Prosthodontist to design and fabricate complex dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances. Responsibilities THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS EXTENDED UNTIL 9/20/2024. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY; HOWEVER, YOU MAY UPDATE YOUR APPLICATION PACKET DURING THIS TIME. Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials. Use and maintenance of dental 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. Accounts for all precious metals used by keeping accurate records of metal used, patient name, and weight used. Identifies oral anatomy and physiology functions in relationship to fabricating dental prostheses. Able to work with minimal supervision, which consists of close consultation with the dentist on different or unusual cases. Provides education, training, and instruction to other clinic personnel. Responsible for the daily operation of the dental laboratory Fabricates or repairs dental appliances in a timely and accurate manner, including: Full dentures. Removable partial dentures (except fabrication of metal framework); Fixed partial dentures (except porcelain fused to metal cases); Crowns (except porcelain fused to metal cases); Special appliances, including splints, night guards, obturators, etc.; Relines of full and removable partial dentures; Places identification in dentures and hearing aids. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Dental Laboratory Technician/PD705990 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 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. General restriction on movement after competitive appointment 5 CFR 330.502. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 09/20/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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 Requirement (IOR): ALL applicants must meet the IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0683 occupational series. To qualify for this occupational series, all applicants, regardless of grade level must meet specialized experience listed below: 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-09 Minimum Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Constructing porcelain or acrylic fixed or semi-fixed bridge restorations; Full or removable partial dentures, or orthodontic appliances, or dental splints and obturators; Complicated construction of the appliance utilizing the unusual nature or intricacy of the design required to overcome acute abnormalities; Applying a thorough technical knowledge of both normal and abnormal oral anatomy and dentition as these affect the design, fabrication, function, and esthetics of the dental prosthesis construction. (RESUME MUST SUPPORT THE EXPERIENCE CLAIMED. WE CANNOT ASSUME EXPERIENCE, SO BE CLEAR AND THOROUGH IN DESCRIBING EXPERIENCE AND INCLUDE START/END DATES; HOURS WORKED PER WEEK) . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. This education must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position at this grade level and is in a field directly related. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Combination: Applicants may combine education and specialized experience. To qualify based on combination for this grade level applicants must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience, as described above. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Interpersonal Skills Materials Engineering Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, sitting, and bending are required. It is necessary to climb onto counters to replenish plaster bins. The ability to lift plaster boxes weighing 30 pounds from the floor to the counter to the plaster bins is required. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work involves regular and recurring exposure to potential hazards of plaster dust, fire (open flame), chemical exposure (methyl methacrylates, alcohol, polymers, sterilizing agents) and communicable diseases (exposure to blood, saliva, tissue, bone). The lab technician wears face masks, protective glasses, and uses special aseptic techniques when handling impressions or other items that are a potential infection hazard. The tech works in a clinic setting with some exposure to patients in dental treatment rooms. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.