Dental Assistant

This position is within the Dental Service located at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in Canandaigua NY. The Dental Assistant supports the dentist across many aspects of direct patient care performing a wide range of intra-oral dental procedures. This role also provides support to the dental laboratory as needed and independently performs additional clinical and clerical functions without direct supervision.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties assigned but not limited to:

• Set up/break down operatory and provide four-handed assistance across restorative prosthetic periodontal endodontic oral surgery and implant procedures.
• Pass instruments/materials efficiently and maintain a clear operative field (suction retraction).
• Prepare medicaments and impression materials; take preliminary impressions adjusting trays as needed.
• Fabricate/place temporary crowns and bridges and adapt/seat stainless steel crowns applying knowledge of common dental disorders.
• Triage dental and medical emergencies routing patients to appropriate staff and initiating emergency codes as needed.
• Operate intra-/extra-oral X-ray equipment positioning patients and adjusting settings to produce diagnostic-quality images per provider request.
• Apply radiation safety protocols to minimize retakes and complete imaging requests within required turnaround time.
• Accurately document images in patient record.
• Disinfect operatories/oral appliances and debride/decontaminate instruments between patients.
• Prepare instruments for SPS sterilization per RME SOPs without delaying care.
• Apply infection control procedures during imaging and lab case transport and adhere to infectious disease policies.
• Schedule/reschedule appointments manage phone calls and fill schedule gaps from cancellations/no-shows.
• Initiate progress notes and record medical/dental history; assist dentist with charting findings and treatment plans.
• Monitor supply inventory and communicate needs to logistics.
• Greet and interact with patients and staff courteously responding to questions/concerns and performing service recovery when issues arise.
• Obtain vital signs and take diagnostic/prosthetic-fabrication impressions.
• Remove/recement/fabricate temporary crowns and bridges cleaning prep sites and applying prescribed agents (desensitizers fluorides tissue conditioners).
• Clean removable prostheses remove sutures and apply rubber dam for endodontic procedures.
• Provide oral hygiene instruction and post-op patient education.
• Additional duties as assigned.

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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.

• 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.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Experience and Education: To fulfill this requirement you must meet one of the following:
  1. Experience: Six months experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the work or provides familiarity with the work. OR
  2. Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Associations Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). OR
  3. 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. 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.
  1. 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).
  2. Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable.
  3. 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.

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.

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-04 you must possess one of the following:
   • (a) One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-03). OR
   • (b) Two (2) years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Associations Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). AND
2. Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   • (a) Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling.
   • (b) Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies.
   • (c) Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval.
   • (d) Basic knowledge of maintenance care and storage of dental equipment.
   • (e) Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.

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:
   • (a) One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-04). OR
   • (b) Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA. AND
2. Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   • (a) Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality.
   • (b) Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.
   • (c) Basic knowledge of instruments materials and standardized dental procedures.
   • (d) Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA.
   • (e) 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). AND
2. Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   • (a) Ability to identify normal oral anatomy.
   • (b) Advanced knowledge of instruments materials and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative surgical endodontic and periodontal care and procedures.
   • (c) Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs.
   • (d) Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist.
   • (e) Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
   • (f) Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
   • (g) Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.
   • (h) Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.