BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Citizenship
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
English Language Proficiency
Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
Basic Requirements: You must have one of the following.
(1) Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work.
OR,
(2) Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
OR,
(3) 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:
(a) Successfully completed the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.
OR,
(b) Successfully completed 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,
(c) Successfully completed a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD)
(2) Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D). Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. This will result in removal from the GS-681 series and may result in termination of employment.
Grandfathering Provision
All persons employed in 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 (for positions above the full performance level)] that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or [changed to lower grade] within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Such employees MUST meet the certification requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
(4) If an employee who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
Grade Determinations
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
GS-3 Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
GS-4 (a) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, 1 year of experience at the next lower level,
OR 2 years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
GS-5 (a) Experience or Education(1) In addition to the requirements listed at GS-4 above, applicants must demonstrate] at least 1 year of experience equivalent to at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.
OR,(2) Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA.
GS-6 Staff Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience. At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSAs)
In addition to meeting Experience or Education, you must meet the following KSAs:
GS-3:
- None beyond basic requirements.
GS-4:
- Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling.
- Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies.
- Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval.
- Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment.
- Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.
GS-5:
- Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality.
- Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.
- Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures.
- Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA.
- Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol.
GS-06:
- Ability to identify normal oral anatomy.
- Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures.
- Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs.
- Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist.
- Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
- Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
- Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.
- Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.
Preferred Experiences
- 3-5 years of dental assistant experience.
- Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standard dental procedures used in dental procedures.
- Ability to monitor and perform basis interpretation of vital signs.
- Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist.
- Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
- Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.
Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-36 DENTAL ASSISTANT QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-681. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06.