GS-7 Clinical Expanded Function Dental Assistant Clinical expanded function dental assistants perform assigned selected procedures with some independence. Some complex patient procedures are performed under indirect supervision of a more experienced clinical expanded function dental assistant, lead dental assistant, or dentist.
All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 06/11/2025. 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. 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: 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. DANB certification is required for all positions above the full performance level (GS-6). English Language Proficiency: Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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-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. These include: Ability to identify normal oral anatomy; Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures; Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs; Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist; Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats; Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry; Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records; Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures. AND Certification: Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: a. Ability to perform dental assisting expanded functions. b. Comprehensive working knowledge of advanced imaging techniques in order to provide instruction (e.g. cone beam, cephalometric, advanced panoramic imaging, TMJ, etc). Preferred Experience: Dental assisting experience 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-7. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification (for positions above the full performance level) that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: 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 certification 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.
The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Duties include, but are not limited to: Expanded function duties: i. Performs mouth mirror inspection of the oral cavity ii. Gathers diagnostic information iii. Performs pulp vitality testing iv. Charts existing restoration and conditions v. Selects shades for fixed and removable prostheses vi. Places and removes rubber dams and matrix bands vii. Places and removes retraction cord viii. Places and removes intracoronal temporary restorations ix. Removes temporary crown/bridges and clean tooth preparations of debri x. Fabricates, adjusts and cements temporary crowns/bridges xi. Removes permanent cement from supragingival surfaces xii. Removes sutures xiii. Places and removes surgical dressings xiv. Monitors local anesthetics and analgesics xv. Performs coronal polishing of teeth xvi. Removes hard accretions from and adjusts, polishes removable prostheses xvii. Demonstrates oral hygiene procedures xviii. Places and removes matrices for restorations xix. Irrigates extraction sites xx. Captures CBCT images xxi. Competent in using the digital dentistry equipment to include scanning, transferring, and fabricating lab prostheses Customer Service i. Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public ii. Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery Chairside Assisting i. Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover ii. Passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently iii. Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably iv. Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions v. Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols vi. Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry vii. Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration viii. Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards Dental Imaging i. Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, ceph, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats ii. Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider iii. Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed iv. Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized v. Imaging requests are accomplished within the desired time frame Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization i. Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatories ii. Disinfects oral appliances to prevent cross contamination iii. Properly prepares instruments for transfer to SPS for sterilization iv. Follows all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment v. Works closely with SPD to ensure availability of instruments so that clinical care is not delayed vi. Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images Clerical Functions i. Assists patients in scheduling appointments ii. Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments iii. Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records iv. Performs as time-keeper, dental supply clerk and local administrative assistant. Information Management i. Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information ii. Follows computer security regulations Patient Safety i. Modifies care as necessitated by patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position) ii. Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients iii. Participates in patient identification and time out per Joint Commission requirements iv. Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress Work Schedule: Full-time; M-Th, 7:30am-5pm, every other F, 7:30am-4pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized