Clarification from the agency

Area of consideration: All US Citizens

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Major Duties:

1. Customer Service-Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public provide assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery.

2. Patient Care-Sets-up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover; handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently; assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias ,medications for safe patient care and the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health. Provides routine and advanced oral prophylactic care to include application of fluoride solutions and to select the appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application; Provides gross debridement, deep scaling and curettage root planning procedures and provides denture care; Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the dentist for additional care when needed; Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays...etc....

3. Patient Education-Provides patient education appropriate to the veteran's needs and oral condition; Prepares and provides individual and group oral health care instruction to inpatients, outpatients, and caregivers educating patients and caregivers on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and effects of illness, addictions, medications and tobacco on the oral cavity.

4. Dental Imaging-Proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films; Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed; Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized.

5. Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization-Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatory; Instruments are properly prepared for sterilization by SPS standards; Instruments are prepared in a manner that does not delay clinical care; Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images.

6. Clerical Functions-Assist patients in scheduling appointments and providing reminder calls to decrease the missed opportunity rate; Assists in filling gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments; Charts findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in patient records.

7. Patient Safety-Recognize age-related changes in individual patients and adapts patient environment to maximize patient's physical comfort and safety; Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position); Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients; Participates in patient identification and time-out per JCAHO requirements; Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:45am-4:15pm

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 21256-A

Conditions of employment

• 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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification 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).

Qualifications

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.
• Education: Applicants must possess an Associate degree or higher from an accredited dental hygiene program. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved programs are: (1) Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). (2) Education completed outside of the United States must be considered at least equivalent to that gained in CODA accredited United States programs and would enable the candidate to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, which is administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.
• Licensure/Certification: (1) Licensure. Applicants must be currently licensed to practice as a dental hygienist with a full, current and unrestricted license in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. (2) Certification. P.L. 97-35, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act Of 1981, requires persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 C.F.R. Part 75, Standards for the Accreditation of Educational Programs for and the Credentialing of Radiologic Personnel. To meet this requirement, 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. Accredited dental hygiene programs contain curriculum addressing radiologic procedures meets the requirement for certification as dental radiographers.

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:

GS-9 Experience. At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-8) that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level.

Assignments. Employees at this level serve as staff dental hygienists at the full performance level. They provide direct patient care and receive guidance from higher-level or supervisory staff members for only the most complex patients and require only general supervision from a dentist. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to patient medical assessment (e.g. medical/dental history, social history, vital signs, full periodontal assessment and charting), disease and treatment management recommendations, denture care, scaling and root planning, radiographs/image interpretation, patient education (e.g. post-procedure, tobacco cessation, caries and perio-disease prevention), behavior management, management of stable medically compromised patients (including risk factors), instrument sharpening, inter-service communication.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-8 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

i. Knowledge of hygiene procedures to explain the process and indication, complications and expected treatment outcomes for each.

ii. Knowledge of proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films.

iii. Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application.

iv. Skill in detecting plaque and calculus, dental abnormalities/pathologies, assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure.

v. Skill in educating patients and caregivers on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and effects of illness, addictions, medications and tobacco on the oral cavity.

vi. Ability to assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities to administer safe patient care.

vii. Ability to assess the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health, recognize age-related changes in individual patients, adapt patient environment, and maximize patient's physical comfort.

Preferred Experience: Three current years of active dental hygienist experience.

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

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.