Dental Assistant

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System is in Palm Beach County, Florida, and its six outpatient clinics are in Stuart, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Okeechobee, Vero Beach and Ft. Pierce. Incumbent serves as the Administrative and Community Care Assistant of the Dental Service, VA Medical Center, West Palm Beach, FL and reports to the Chief, Dental Service.

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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides familiarity with the work. OR Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation (CODA). OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Certification: Radiologic Competence Certification-Documentation Submitted. 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). Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. [Required for all positions above the full performance level May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-7 Clinical Expanded Function Dental Assistant Experience: At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-6) or equivalent that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. (Examples of experience include: using the concepts of four-handed dentistry; assists with specialty procedures including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration; anticipates surgeons/specialists needs at each stage of treatment; takes preliminary impressions; selects and manipulates a variety of gypsums and waxes; pours, trims and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts; fabricates custom trays) Certification: Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities: In addition to the above listed required experience, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs): Ability to perform dental assisting expanded functions Comprehensive working knowledge of advanced imaging techniques in order to provide instruction (e.g. cone beam, cephalometric, advanced panoramic imaging, TMJ, etc). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The above full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.