Dental Assistant Job at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Cincinnati

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Summary

Dental Assistants perform a full range of duties with direct and indirect supervision from a lead or supervisory Dental Assistant, an independent dental care provider (dentist, dental specialist), or a hygienist. Some complex patient care procedures are performed under the direct or indirect supervision of more experienced dental assistants, independent dental care providers, or hygienists.

Responsibilities

• Customer Service: showing courtesy, respect and a positive attitude to patients, co-workers and the public.
• Chairside Assisting: the dental assistant sets up the dental treatment area/surgical suite for planned dental/surgical treatment procedures prior and during patient care encounters. They also clean and disinfect treatment areas following patient care to facilitate timely treatment area turnover.
• The Dental Assistant will escort patients from the waiting area to the treatment area at the beginning of an appointment and from the treatment area to the waiting area following the appointment as needed.
• They are responsible for passing instruments safely, accurately and efficiently.
• They will keep the operative field clear of debris and retract oral soft tissues effectively to facilitate comfortable patient care for respective patients.
• The Dental Assistant will also be responsible for stocking, cleaning, and disinfecting the dental treatment area.
• They will assist the dental provider in accomplishing clinical exams, radiographic exams, and dental treatment in accordance with CDC, VHA, VISN 10, Cincinnati VAMC facility and Dental Service infection control policies.
• The Dental Assistant is competent in exposure of diagnostic quality standard and specialty radiographic images in traditional and/or digital formats.
• They will possess competency with troubleshooting of image quality problems to achieve a diagnostic quality image when a first attempt is below standard.
• The Dental Assistant performs dental imaging duties utilizing radiation safety techniques/practices for patient safety and worker safety.
• They will perform duties utilizing proper infection control technique.
• The Dental Assistant removes bioburden from used instruments and prepares instruments and/or instrument cassettes for transfer to Sterile Processing Service for sterilization.
• They will maintain instrument and equipment inventory in good repair and stocked appropriately.
• They will help the providers fill in open appointments created by a late cancellation, failed appointments, and scheduling errors.
• The Dental Assistant will chart exam findings identified by the provider(s) in DRM+.
• They will work with provider(s) to ensure that the duration of patient care appointments, physical accommodations during patient care, medical accommodations during patient care, and disability accommodations during patient care facilitate patient safety at all times.
• They will visually monitor patient status during dental procedures and alert the provider to signs of distress of any sort.
• They will comply with Cincinnati VA Medical Center Employee Education Requirements.
• The Dental Assistant will complete Dental Laboratory duties such as pouring impressions, preparing study models, and fabricating custom impression trays and bite rims.
• They will also perform direct patient care duties such as: removing sutures, removing periodontal dressings, removing temporary crowns/bridges, cleaning teeth of cement and operative debris, performing coronal polishing, placing rubber dams and matrix bands, and providing post-operative instructions to patients.

Recruitment and relocation incentives may be authorized for Highly Qualified candidates.

Work Schedule

Compressed Tour: Monday-Thursday, 6:30am- 4:00pm, Friday 6:30am-3:00pm; every other Friday off.

Compressed: Available.

Telework: Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

GS-6, 92637-0.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Not authorized.

Requirements

• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

Qualifications

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.

Experience And Education

Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work.

Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

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). 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 may result in removal from the GS-681 series and may result in termination of employment.

Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.

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.

Preferred Experience

Dental x‑ray certified; CPR certification; and Chairside Dental Assisting experience.

Physical Requirements

Long periods of standing, walking, sitting, and bending are required. Pushing dental equipment and carts are necessary to deliver items to the operatory or procedure site. It is necessary to climb onto lifts to retrieve or store supplies, or to help the dentist carry out a surgical or dental procedure. Lifting of patients from gurneys or wheelchairs into the dental chair is required to position them for radiographs or dental examination and treatment. Ability to perform dental assistant‑appropriate laboratory procedures.

Additional Information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Benefits

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

References

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