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.

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 and is required for all positions above 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
• *Applies to current VHA employees only
• 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 - 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
• https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Duties

• 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 safety 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 Functional Statement #: 21782F