Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The Registered Dental Hygienist at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System(VAPAHCS) provides direct patient care under the general supervision of the dentist and performs other clinical and clerical functions independent of direct supervision.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to all US citizens.

Duties

Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Patient Care duties and responsibilities:

• Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover;
• Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently;
• Provides routine oral prophylactic care to include application of fluoride solutions;
• Provides gross debridement, deep scaling, and curettage and root planning procedures;
• Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable;
• Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the doctor for additional care when needed;
• Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays;
• Administers topical and local anesthetic agents;
• Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection control protocols;
• Performs oral cancer screening;
• Provides nutritional counseling with the goal of improving oral health and decreasing caries rate;
• Performs patient medical assessments.

Patient Education Responsibilities:

• Provides patient education appropriate to the Veteran's needs and oral condition;
• Prepares and provides individual and group oral health care instructions to inpatients, outpatients, and caregivers;
• Provides diseases and treatment management recommendations;
• Provides behavior management and management of stable medically compromise patients, including risk factors.

Dental Imagining Duties and Responsibilities:

• Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed;
• Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized;
• Interprets radiographs and images.

Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization Duties and Responsibilities:

• 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;
• Demonstrates proper instruments sharpening.

Clerical Responsibilities:

• Assists patients in scheduling appointments;
• Assists in filling gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments;
• Charts findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in patient records;
• Assists with inter-service communication.

Information Management Responsibilities:

• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information;
• Follows computer security regulations.

Patient Safety Responsibilities:

• Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities;
• Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients;
• Participates in patient identification and time out per TJC requirements;
• Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.

Employee Education Responsibilities:

• Complies with employee education requirements;
• Completes mandatory annual safety training sessions;
• Prepares and presents monthly safety training to Dental Service staff.

Location: Menlo Park, CA

Salary: $100,097 - $130,125 per year

Pay Scale & Grade: GS-9

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000 - Registered Dental Hygienist
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

The following are requirements for appointment as a Dental Hygienist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Dental Hygienists perform a wide variety of interventions which contribute to the overall oral health of Veterans. The work requires a professional knowledge of the field of dental hygiene and the biomedical sciences that relate to dentistry. These requirements apply to all VHA Dental Hygienists in the General Schedule (GS)-682 series.

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. Associate Degree or higher in an accredited dental hygiene program. This program must be accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
• 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.
• 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. Accredited dental hygiene programs contain curriculum addressing radiologic procedures which will meet the requirement for certification as dental radiographers.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency. Dental hygienists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

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

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. It is expected that 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.

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

• Ability to assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities for safe patient care.
• 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.
• Skill in detecting plaque and calculus, dental abnormalities/pathologies, assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure.
• Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application.
• Knowledge of hygiene procedures in order to explain the process and indication, complications and expected treatment outcomes for each.
• Knowledge of proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films.
• 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.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/73, PART II, APPENDIX G37. DENTAL HYGIENIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD, GS-0682

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-9.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,097.00 - $130,125.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

• Must be a U.S. Citizen

Experience:

• Dental Hygienist: 1 year (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Menlo Park, CA 94025: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person