Dental Assistant

Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens. Veterans' Preference is not applicable to this occupational series. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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• Receives and prepares patients for dental treatment, including seating, chair positioning, and placing napkin.
• Ensures adherence to infection control protocols and safe instrument handling procedures.
• Performs disinfection and sterilization of instruments and work area.
• Assists chairside with a full range of dental procedures, including restorative, surgical, endodontic, periodontal, prosthodontic, and oral surgery, using four-handed dentistry concepts.
• Responds to medical emergencies, reports to dentists, and records vital signs as needed.
• Prepares procedural trays and other armamentaria set-ups for dental treatments.
• Recognizes dental instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures; anticipates provider's needs during treatments.
• Captures, processes, mounts, labels, and retrieves dental radiographic images; evaluates radiographs for diagnostic quality; saves images to electronic medical records.
• Recognizes oral anatomy to ensure quality radiographs, and captures both standard and specialty dental images.
• Provides accurate entry and retrieval of patient records via electronic dental record systems.
• Provides patient instructions according to established protocols; independently offers procedure-specific patient education and refers patient concerns as appropriate.
• Mixes dental materials and assists with laboratory procedures, such as taking impressions, pouring, trimming and evaluating diagnostic casts, and fabricating custom trays.
• Maintains, cares for, and performs routine and specialty maintenance on dental equipment as per manufacturer and service standards; ensures proper storage of equipment and materials.
• Complies at all times with patient privacy and confidentiality requirements.
• Directs patients to appropriate staff for scheduling and follow-up visits.
• Responsible for all other assigned administrative and operational duties as required.

Work Schedule: Intermittent; Monday - Thursday, based on the needs of the service.
Appointment Type: Temporary - Not-to-Exceed 1 year
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 52816-A, 52817-A, 52818-A, 52819-A

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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

a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)

b. Experience and Education

(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).

(3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.

c. 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.

(1) 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).

(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.

(3) Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.

(4) 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.

English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-3 Dental Assistant

(a) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 Dental Assistant

(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). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling.
2. Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies.
3. Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval.
4. Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment.
5. Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.

GS-5 Dental Assistant

(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.

(3) In addition to meeting paragraph (1) or (2) above, the applicant must demonstrate the following KSA's:

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

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

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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs:

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6.

Physical Requirements:

Dental assistants must possess the physical stamina to stand and walk for extended periods, frequently moving between rooms and workstations. They may also be required to sit for an hour or more during procedures. The role involves staying physically active for several hours at a time, performing tasks that require bending, squatting, and reaching.

Manual dexterity is essential, as the position demands precise and repetitive movements of the hands and fingers to handle delicate dental instruments and equipment. Tasks such as preparing dental materials, operating equipment, taking X-rays, and assisting in procedures all require a high level of manual skill.

Acute vision is necessary to observe patient responses, discern fine details in dental materials, accurately assess colors and shades, and monitor instruments. Additionally, sufficient auditory ability is required to effectively communicate with patients and the dental care team. The ability to lift up to 25 pounds is also required.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Full resume/CV without page limitation
• Resume

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Your resume/CV must include the following information for each job listed (a determination may not be able to be made if these items are missing):

• Job title and Duties
• Month & year, start/end dated (e.g. June 2020 to April 2021)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Series and Grade, if applicable

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Full resume/CV without page limitation
• Certification of Radiologic Competence
• Other (3)
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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