The American Dental Hygienists' Association is hiring: Staff Dental Assistant in

Overview

Summary

This position serves the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center as Staff Dental Assistant for routine patient care and with indirect supervision from the lead or supervisory dental assistant or the treating dentist; direct supervision is given for any complex patient procedures from more experienced dental assistants - lead dental assistant - supervisory dental assistant - or the treating dentist.

Responsibilities

• Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover
• Passes instruments safely - accurately - and efficiently
• Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably
• Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions
• Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols
• Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry
• Assists in specialized dental procedures - such as oral surgery - endodontics - periodontics - prosthodontics - implant placement and restoration with guidance from more experienced Dental Assistants (including Lead and/or Supervisory Dental Assistants)
• Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards
• Monitors patient vital signs (BP - pulse - pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure
• Applies topical anesthetic at the injection site
• Applies topical fluoride
• Makes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication with guidance from more experienced Dental Assistants (including Lead and/or Supervisory Dental Assistants)
• Removes plaque and soft debris from removable prostheses
• Provides patient preventative education and oral hygiene instruction
• Provides post-operative and other appropriate patient education
• Completes medication reconciliation and TBI screenings as appropriate
• Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e., TMJ - ceph - cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats
• Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider
• Images are characterized by diagnostic quality - accurately oriented and exposed
• Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized - and retakes are minimized
• Imaging requests are accomplished within the desired time frame
• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories
• Disinfects oral appliances to prevent cross contamination
• Properly prepares instruments for transfer to SPD for sterilization
• Follows all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment
• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images
• Utilizes all proper PPE per national and local policies
• Follows all hospital infection control protocols including hand hygiene
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the service)

Responsibilities (Duties continued)

• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship; English Language Proficiency; Six months experience or successful completion of a 1-year CODA-accredited dental assistant program; or an equivalent experience/education combination
• Certification: Radiologic credentialing standards per 42 CFR Part 75; Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination or approved temporary appointment for graduates; BLS certification highly desirable; DANB certification is valued but not required for all levels
• Grade Determinations: GS-6 (Full Performance Level) requires at least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level and demonstration of core competencies and KSAs
• Preferred Experience: Proficiency in restorative, fixed and removable prosthetics, oral surgery, endodontics and implant restorations; provisional restorations; alginate impressions; digital radiography; electronic dental records
• ADA recognition of DANB as national certification; not required for appointment at lower levels but advantageous for higher levels
• Physical Requirements and Work Environment as described in the original posting

Benefits and Other Details

• Pay: Competitive salary and regular increases
• Potential for higher step rate based on qualifications
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days per year (annual leave, sick leave, federal holidays)
• Parental Leave: up to 12 weeks after 12 months of employment
• Child Care Subsidy: eligibility after 60 days for eligible families
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension and 401K with VA contributions
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care
• Telework: Not available; Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/PCS: Not Authorized
• Functional Statement: GS-6 - 564-00313-F