Dental Assistant

Dental Assistant sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Possesses advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care.

This is an open-continuous announcement. It establishes a standing register of eligible applicants which closes on 01/19/2027 or until all positions have been filled.

Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry.
• Passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently.
• Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably.
• Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions.
• Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols.
• Monitors, and performs basic interpretation of, patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure.
• Applies topical anesthetic at the injection site.
• Takes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication.
• Pours impressions and prepares study models.
• Makes final denture impression trays and prepares bite rims.
• Removes plaque and soft debris from removable prostheses.
• Provides procedure-specific, patient-preventative education and oral hygiene instruction.
• Provides post-operative and other appropriate patient education.
• Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration.
• Fabricates athletic mouth guards and bleaching trays.
• Performs other dental laboratory functions as needed.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-430pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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:
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

1. Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States
2. English Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
3. Experience and Education - To fulfill this requirement, you must meet one of the following:
   • Experience: Six months experience that demonstrates your 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
4. Certification: Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. You must have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in this 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). OR,
     • 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. (This is applicable for grade levels 3/4/5/6 of this series)
   • Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.
   • Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). 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.

Grandfathering Provision: All Dental Assistants employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (04/19/2011) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification 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. Dental Assistants grandfathered under this provision 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. Dental Assistants 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. Dental Assistants 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 a Dental Assistant who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-03 Dental Assistant (Entry Level Developmental) - No additional requirements beyond the basic requirements.


GS-04 Dental Assistant - Experience/Education Requirement:

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you must possess one of the following:
   1. One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-03).
   2. Two (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).
2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, 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-05 Dental Assistant - Experience/Education Requirement:

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-05 you must meet the requirements listed at the GS-04 above, and you must possess one of the following:

1. One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-04).
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.

1. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate 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-06 Staff Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level) Experience Requirement:

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-06 you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).
2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   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.

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.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's 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.
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.