Dental Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Cape Coral, FL

22d • Onsite

About The Position

The Dental Assistant position is located at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and supports the dental treatment team in providing care to Veterans enrolled in the Lee County VA Community Clinic. The role assists dentists with general and specialty dental procedures, including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implant placement and restoration. The assistant also performs clinical, dental laboratory, and administrative or clerical functions independently of direct supervision.

The position includes preparing and turning over operatories, capturing diagnostic-quality digital radiographs, anticipating the dentist’s needs during treatment, preparing dental materials, assisting with four-handed dentistry, providing patient education, maintaining equipment, and completing dental laboratory procedures. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not authorized, and the position is not virtual.

This is a permanent, full-performance GS-6 position. Compensation is described as competitive, with regular salary increases; no specific salary range is provided. The position includes federal employee benefits, including paid leave and holidays, parental leave, potential child care subsidy eligibility, retirement benefits, and federal insurance programs.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least six months of experience demonstrating ability to perform or familiarity with the work; or successful completion of a one-year CODA-accredited dental assistant program; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Radiologic qualification through one of the specified routes: successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination; completion of the specified Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations; or completion of a state board of dentistry- or Department of Defense-approved radiation health and safety program or examination.
• For GS-06 full-performance level, at least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level demonstrating the relevant core competencies.
• Ability to identify normal oral anatomy.
• Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized procedures used in restorative, surgical, endodontic, and periodontal care.
• Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs.
• Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and refer patient concerns appropriately to the treating dentist.
• Ability to capture standard and special dental images of diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
• Ability to maintain dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
• Ability to enter and retrieve data using electronic dental records.
• Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.
• Must complete required pre-employment screening and onboarding, including a background or security investigation and a pre-employment physical evaluation; applicants selected for VA employment in testing-designated positions are subject to urinalysis screening.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the conditions described in the announcement.
• Physical ability to meet the stated demands, including lifting and carrying, coordination, vision and hearing requirements, walking, and standing.

Nice To Haves

• Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) certification is highly desirable but not required.
• Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assist with general dentistry and specialty procedures, including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implant placement and restoration.
• Perform four-handed chair-side dental assisting and other procedures delegated by the dentist, consistent with the Florida State Dental Practice Act.
• Comply with patient safety processes, including infection control, patient identification, time-out, informed consent, medication reconciliation, and hand-off communication.
• Follow standard operating procedures for reusable medical equipment, instruments, materials, and personal protective equipment.
• Prepare operatories and required supplies before procedures and clean the operatory after patients are dismissed.
• Capture and save diagnostic-quality intraoral and extraoral digital radiographs within the required time frame.
• Anticipate the dentist’s needs during procedures and make instruments and materials available in the clinic, operating room, or at the patient’s bedside.
• Prepare and mix dental materials according to manufacturers’ instructions.
• Apply cavity bases and liners, desensitizing agents, fluoride, tooth conditioners or bonding agents, and dentist-prescribed topical anesthesia.
• Fabricate temporary acrylic, stainless steel, and polycarbonate crowns; remove temporary crowns and bridges and clean prepared teeth.
• Remove sutures, periodontal dressings, and post-extraction socket dressings.
• Perform coronal polishing of natural teeth, including removing cement and debris from teeth and restorations.
• Provide procedure-specific patient education on preventive care, prosthetic appliance care, oral hygiene regimens, and postoperative or restorative instructions.
• Perform routine equipment maintenance, including maintenance of suction traps and water lines.
• Perform dental laboratory duties, including cleaning and polishing prosthetic appliances, pouring and trimming dental stone models, constructing custom impression trays, and fabricating bite rims, vacuum-formed stints, soft mouth guards, and fluoride trays.
• Independently perform clinical, dental laboratory, and administrative or clerical functions.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Potential child care subsidy for eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment, subject to family income, eligible child, cost, and monthly maximum requirements.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k), with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior federal employment or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed