Dental Assistant

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major Duties May Include but are not limited to:

• Assisting dentists during a wide range of clinical procedures to ensure optimal patient care and procedural efficiency.
• Performing dental radiographic procedures in accordance with safety and diagnostic standards.
• Providing patients with pre- and post-procedure instructions oral hygiene guidance and general dental health education.
• Adhering to strict infection prevention protocols including sterilization of instruments and disinfection of treatment areas.
• Ensuring dental equipment is properly maintained calibrated and in good working order.
• Monitoring and restocking clinical supplies to maintain readiness and support uninterrupted patient care.
• Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover
• Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably
• Exposes and processes basic dental radiographs under direct supervision
• Modifies care as necessitated by patients age and abilities (patient transfer and position)
• Employee will display a cooperative attitude and will effectively work together to implement the organizations mission and goals.
• Incumbent possesses or develops an understanding of the needs of a variety of patients. Sensitivity to the special needs of all patients in respect to age developmental requirements disabilities and culturally related factors is consistently achieved.

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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 evaluation/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.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal 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 and Education:

1. Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicants ability to perform the work or provides familiarity with the work. OR
2. Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Associations Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). OR
3. 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).

1. 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 will result in removal from the GS-681 series and may result in termination of employment.
2. Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.
3. Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certifi- cation 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.

1. Such employees may be reassigned promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Such employees MUST meet the certificationion requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
2. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
3. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
4. If an employee who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

• Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

• Experience or Education. 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 Associations Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

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.

• Experience or Education: 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 that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. OR
• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

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.

• Experience. At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

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.