Clarification from the agency

All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

Major Duties:

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public
• Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery
• Delivers care that reflects the Veteran's and the family's personal goals, personal preferences, and freedom of choice
• Demonstrates knowledge and application of patient and family centered care in communication and instructions to patients, and in observation of the actual care provided
• Demonstrates non-judgmental understanding of the Veteran's and family's knowledge, values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds
  Demonstrates collaborative orientation to working with patients and families
• Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover ensuring that all scheduled patients are seen within the scheduled time frame
• Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently
• Assess clinical findings, including normal and critical lab results, and adapt care based on findings Interview patient and assess patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities Assesses 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
• Provides routine oral prophylaxis, gross debridement, soft tissue curettage, deep scaling and root planning procedures to patients with complex periodontal/restorative conditions and complex medical/psychiatric issues
• Safely utilizes advanced adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic equipment (e.g. sonic, magnetostrictive ultrasonic, and piezo ultrasonic scalers)
• Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable
• Assists in filling hygiene schedule during non-scheduled clinical time or when cancellations occur
• Evaluate patient's caries risk and select and apply appropriate fluoride solutions
• Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays when directed
• Administers topical anesthetic agents
• Applies desensitizing and sealant materials
• Administers local anesthetic, if licensed by state
• Administers intrasulcular anti-infective agents and sulcular lavage per direction of dentist
• Applies and removes periodontal dressings
• Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection control protocols
• Provides patient education appropriate to the Veteran's needs and oral condition
• Explains hygiene procedures, indications, complications and expected outcomes to individual patient and caregiver
• Prepares and provides education on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene
  practices, parafunctional habits, and effect of illness, addictions, medications and tobacco on the oral cavity
• Applies adult education techniques/methods, organizes curriculum, judges cognitive ability, and provides healthcare education regarding relationships between medical and dental pathologies to groups, interdisciplinary staff, and other outside contacts
• Properly obtain digital periapical, panoramic and CBCT images
• Images are characterized by excellent diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed
• Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized
• Recognizes common pathologies and utilizes advanced radiographic technique and equipment to detect abnormalities
• 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
• Assists patients and staff 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
• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information
• Follows computer security regulations
• Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position)
• Modifies care based patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications and comorbidities
• 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
• Complies with Employee Education requirements
• Completes mandatory annual safety training sessions
• Prepares and presents monthly Safety Training to Dental Service Staff Instruct and supervise dental hygiene students

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.
• 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 dentification 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.

Qualifications

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.
• Education. Applicants must possess an Associate degree or higher from an accredited dental hygiene program. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved programs are:
  • Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
  • Education completed outside of the United States must be considered at least equivalent to that gained in CODA accredited United States programs and would enable the candidate to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, which is administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.
• Licensure/Certification
  • 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. P.L. 97-35, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act Of 1981, requires persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 C.F.R. Part 75, Standards for the Accreditation of Educational Programs for and the Credentialing of Radiologic Personnel. To meet this requirement, 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
    3 programs contain curriculum addressing radiologic procedures meets the requirement for certification as dental radiographers.
• Exceptions for Non-Certified Dental Hygienist.
  • Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental hygienist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B), Temporary Full- Time Appointments, Part-Time Appointments and Without-Compensation Appointments for a Period Not to Exceed Two Years.
  • Non-certified individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a certified dental hygienist at or above the full performance level.
  • Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
  • Temporary appointments of non-certified dental hygienist may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.
  • Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, dental hygienists must actively pursue meeting requirements for certification starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the dental hygienist supervisor will provide the dental hygienist with the written requirements for licensure/certification, including the time by which the licensure/certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Management officials will remove dental hygienists from their positions who fail to obtain licensure/certification during this time period, which may result in termination of employment
• Loss of Credential. Management officials will remove dental hygienists from their positions who fail to maintain the required licensure/certification, which may also result in termination of employment.

• Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that is directly related to the position being filled fully meets the KSAs at that level.
• Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At this level, dental hygienists are advanced-level practitioners in assigned areas. Employee assignments may include but are not limited to advanced patient assessments/clinical evaluations (blood glucose levels, medication reconciliation, oral cancer screening, dietary analysis for caries risk, pulse oximeter, comprehensive periodontal charting), prophylaxis in complex restorative cases (e.g. multiple dental implants, orthognathic, post-surgical trauma, etc.), advanced scaling and root planing (ability to use advanced modalities) with or without soft-tissue curettage, advanced radiographic studies (cone beam computed tomography (CT), cephalometric), local anesthesia administration, advanced adjunctive treatment (xerostomia treatment recommendations, sulcular lavage, placement of intrasulcular medicaments, applying and removing periodontal surgical dressings, orthodontic care, sealant placement, occlusion adjustment, placement of desensitizing agents, professional whitening procedures), individual and group oral hygiene instructions for special-needs populations, elevated educational instruction, development of training materials/presentations), management of medically and/or behaviorally compromised patients, and collaboration with other disciplines.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-09 level, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of medical assessment techniques including interviewing and evaluating clinical findings (e.g. normal and critical lab values) to adapt treatment based on medical and psychological issues.
  • Advanced knowledge of oral and dental anatomy including root anatomy, common pathologies and anomalies, and indications for advanced radiographic imaging and proper technique to detect potential abnormalities.
  • Knowledge of medical treatment adjuncts and indications and the ability to safely administer medicaments (e.g. intrasulcular medicaments, local anesthesia, sulcular lavage, applying and removing periodontal surgical dressing).
  • Knowledge of advanced adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, indication for use and ability to utilize safely (e.g. sonic, magnetostrictive ultrasonic, and piezo ultrasonic scalers).
  • Skill in providing safe and thorough prophylaxis, root planing and soft- tissue curettage for complex periodontal and/or restorative cases and skill in providing safe care for patients with complex medical/psychiatric issues.
  • Ability to apply adult education techniques/methods, organize curriculum, judge cognitive ability, and provide healthcare education regarding relationships between medical and dental pathologies to groups, interdisciplinary staff, and other outside contacts.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.