Dental Assistant

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Dental Assistant assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions under direct include but are not limited to:

• Customer Service: Shows courtesy respect and a positive attitude for patients co-workers and the public. Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns provide service recovery.
• Chairside Assisting: Set up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Pass instruments safely accurately and efficiently. Keep operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably.
• Dental Imaging: Images are characterized by diagnostic quality accurately oriented and exposed. Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized and retakes are minimized.
• Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization: Demonstrate proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatories.

• Clerical Functions: Assist patients in scheduling appointments. Assist in filling gaps in the doctors schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records.

• Information Management: Maintain patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information. Follow computer security regulations.
• Patient Safety: Modifies care as necessitated by patients age and abilities (patient transfer and position). Provide accurate and understandable instructions to patients.
• Employee Education: Complies with Employee Education requirements. Completes mandatory annual safety training sessions.
• Dental Laboratory Functions: Coordination of Dental Laboratory cases with the doctor and the laboratory.
• Direct Patient Care: Provide post-operative and another appropriate patient education. Four-Handed dental procedures assisting the dentist. Work directly supporting the GS-8 supervisory dental assistant and Hygienist during patient care. Chairside assistant to all specialty providers. Clean & Polish or dental appliances/prosthetics.

• 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 examination.
• 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.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 07/16/2026

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: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicants 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 Associations 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: (a) 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 not required but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level.

• Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling
• Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies
• Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval
• Basic knowledge of maintenance care and storage of dental equipment.
• Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.

• Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality.
• Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.
• Basic knowledge of instruments materials and standardized dental procedures.
• Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA.
• Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol.

• 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.