Summary

Dental Assistant provides assistance to dentists and dental hygienists. The dental assistant is an integral member of the dental treatment team and assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical - dental laboratory and administrative/clerical functions independently of direct supervision at Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain - MI.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• 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 and Education: Must have one of the following 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: 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: 1) Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board - Inc
• Or - 2 ) 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 - 3) 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
• 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-3: Basic Requirements
• There is no experience or Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities required for the GS-3 or entry level
• GS-4: 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: 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: 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 (GS-4) 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
• In addition to meeting (1) or (2) above - the applicant must demonstrate the following KSAs 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 : Must have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-5 that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level
• Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: responds to basic medical emergencies
• measures and records vital signs
• provides pre- and post-operative instructions
• maintains a field of operation during dental procedures through the use of retraction - suction - irrigation - drying - placing and removing cotton rolls
• using the concepts of four-handed dentistry - assists with basic restorative procedures
• mixes basic dental materials
• assists in preparation of laboratory prescription forms
• applies pressure indicator paste to removable prostheses
• exposes and processes basic dental radiographs
• mounts and labels dental radiographs and/or saves digital imaging to electronic medical records
• evaluates radiographs for diagnostic quality
• maintains routine dental equipment per manufacturer and dental service standards
• 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
• Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable
• 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: Long periods of standing and walking are required as well as considerable bending and stooping
• The Dental Assistant must assist patients from wheelchair's
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Both hands required
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously.

Duties

• General Dentistry
• The practice of prevention - diagnosis - and treatment of diseases - injuries - and malformations of the teeth - jaws - and human oral cavity and its adjacent tissues and structures
• It involves the routine restoration of teeth with dental filling materials such as amalgam or composite as well as the provision of preventive services
• It may also include the completion of treatment interventions that are coded in dental specialty disciplines
• Patient Care Duties: Compliant with patient identification requirements
• Compliant with meeting their role in the Medication Reconciliation Process
• Compliant with meeting their role in the Time-Out process
• Compliant with meeting their role in the IMED consent process
• Compliant with infection control protocols in all aspects of the care process
• Follows standard operating procedures for all reusable medical equipment (RME) in use in the dental clinical area
• Keeps patients informed of clinic delays
• Directly communicates with patients when treatment will not commence within 20-minutes of the patient's scheduled appointment time
• Provides patient with an anticipated time that the patient will be seen - asks the patient if that time is acceptable or if the patient desires to reschedule
• Charts findings and treatment plans in Dental Record Manager
• Completes electronic return to clinic orders using the Computerized Patient Record System
• Captures and saves quality intra and extra-oral digital images
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of dental eligibility and the scope of care that may be provided based on the patient's dental classification
• Has knowledge of and skill in detecting signs of syncope - shock or other side reactions to dental treatment and observes the patient throughout treatment for signs of fainting - shock or other distress
• Has knowledge of the specialized instruments - materials - procedures and techniques used in the full array of treatments provided in both general and specialized dentistry disciplines
• Prepares the operatory with all needed equipment - materials and supplies for planned dental procedure(s) prior to seating the patient
• 15) Obtains and records the patient's vital signs in the electronic medical record
• Anticipates the dentist's need at each stage of the treatment procedure and makes instrumentation and/or materials readily available
• 17) Employs proper techniques and dexterity in the practice of four-handed dentistry
• Keeps the operative field clear of debris and improves access by effectively retracting the tongue and/or oral tissues
• Places rubber dam and matrix bands
• Prepares dental materials including dental impression materials per manufacturer's instructions
• Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures in compliance with standard infection control protocols
• Removes sutures and post-extraction dressings
• Removes periodontal dressings
• Takes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions used to fabricate custom trays
• Removes crown/bridge temporaries and cleans the prepared tooth of debris
• Fabricates temporary acrylic - stainless steel and polycarbonate crowns
• Places temporary restorations
• Accomplishes coronal polishing of teeth
• Applies desensitizing agents - tissue conditioners and other topical agents prescribed by dentist to specified areas of the oral cavity
• 30) Provides patient post-operative education
• Instructs patients in preventive dental care practices - care of prosthodontic appliances and other oral healthcare education
• Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps and water lines
• Tests unit water quality as scheduled
• Administrative/Clerical Duties as deemed necessary: Prints Open Encounters Report daily and distributes to providers
• Prints Consult Report daily and addresses pending or unscheduled consults
• Prints Imaging Consult Report Daily and distributes to providers
• Prints daily schedule for each provider
• Dispositions patients at the time that the patient presents for scheduling or calls to cancel and/or reschedule their appointment
• Schedules patients within 14 days of the desired date
• Accurately updates patient demographic data
• Provides timely Dental Telephone Care/Triage and appropriately dispositions patients to a dentist when warranted
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required