• Perform chairside duties assisting in all phases of dentistry from the preliminary screening examination to local anesthetic administration.
• Take preliminary impressions, bite registrations, modifies impression trays, fabricates custom trays, pours and trims casts.
• Apply prescribed medications to gingival tissues in cases of excessive bleeding.
• Ensure that the clinic environment is clean, safe and orderly.
• Perform all administrative tasks to include entering demographic data into automated systems.
• Operate dental X-ray equipment to take intra and extra-oral radiographs.
• Assist the dentist chair side and in all phases of prosthetic dentistry, including full dentures, partial dentures, fixed bridges and crowns.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• Selectees will be required to sign a statement (Condition of Employment) consenting to seasonal influenza vaccinations or must provide a recognized exemption.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position subject to pre-employment screening and random drug testing. Selectees will be required to consent to participation in random drug urinalysis testing.
• Immunization screening is required. Hepatitis B immunization is required for all positions with direct patient contact. Applicants may be required to show proof of other immunizations depending on the type of position.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. Advanced certification (e.g., ALS) does not supersede BLS.
• This position has specific initial background investigation and periodic re-verification requirements since its duties require interaction with children and youth under the age of eighteen (18) years of age on a recurring basis.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.



Basic Requirement for Dental Assistant (Expanded Function):

Education: Applicants for Dental Assistant (Expanded Function) positions must have completed one-year of acceptable course work, preceptorship, or other formal training and/or work assignments specifically designed to equip them with knowledge and skills required to perform intra-oral procedures involved in the position to be filled. Examples of acceptable training are:

(1) Courses in a dental hygiene or dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Accreditation that are directly related to the intra-oral procedures (also referred to as expanded functions) that are to be performed in the position to be filled.

(2) Department of Defense's Dental Therapy Assistant Training Program.

(3) Continuing education courses in expanded functions for dental assistants offered by the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services.

(4) Other training comparable to the above in private or governmental hospitals, clinics, or schools that included formal classroom instruction and clinical training in the knowledge and skills required to perform intra-oral procedures in the position to be filled.

Note: You must attach proof of completing the educational requirement with your application package. Proof may include school transcripts, course completion certificates, etc.

AND

Radiology Certification: Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer Radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, they must (1) 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 (2) be certified as radiographers in their field. The following meet these requirements:

(1) Persons employed by the Federal Government as Radiologic personnel prior to the effective date of the regulation (January 13, 1986) who show evidence of current or fully satisfactory performance or certification of such from a licensed practitioner such as a Doctor of Medicine, Osteopathy, Dentistry, Podiatry, or Chiropractic who prescribes Radiologic procedures to others.

(2) Persons first employed by the Federal Government as Radiologic personnel after the effective date of the regulation who (a) received training from institutions in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not accredit training in that particular field at the time of graduation, or (b) practiced in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not license that particular field or did not allow special eligibility to take a licensure examination for those who did not graduate from an accredited educational program, provided such persons show evidence of training, experience, and competence, as determined by OPM or the employing agency.

Note: You must attach proof of completing the Radiologic requirement with your application package. Proof may include school transcripts, course completion certificates, certification, etc.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes providing chair side assistance supporting a dental specialist by performing intra-oral procedures; charting or taking preliminary impressions; operating dental x-ray equipment. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service, (GS-05).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• License/Certification: This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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