Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. This job is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, Federal employees of other Agencies, and U.S. Citizens

Videos

Total Rewards of an Allied Health Professional

Dental hygienists at this level are advanced-level practitioners who work closely with, and under the general direction of, a dentist, periodontist or other specialist. Duties include, but are not limited to:

Customer Service/Veteran Centered Care:

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, coworkers, 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 written care plans, instructions to patients, and in observation of the actual care provided.
• Demonstrates collaborative orientation to working with patients and families.

Patient Care and Safety:

• Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover.
• Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently.
• Assesses clinical findings, including normal and critical lab results, and adapts care based on finding.
• Assesses patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications, and comorbidities and modifies care accordingly.
• Assesses the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health.
• Recognizes age-related changes in individual patients, and adapts patient environment to maximize patient's physical comfort.
• Applies appropriate topical fluoride solutions or varnishes.
• Indicates use for and utilizes adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic equipment safely (e.g., sonic, magnetostrictive ultrasonic, and piezo ultrasonic scalers).
• 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.
• Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable.
• Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays.
• Administers topical and local anesthetic agents.
• Administers intrasulcular anti-infective agents and sulcular lavage per direction of dentist/periodontist.
• Applies and removes periodontal dressings per direction of dentist.
• Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection control protocols.
• Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients during procedures.
• Participates in patient identification and time out per TIC requirements.
• Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.

Patient Education:

• 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.

Dental Imaging:

• Takes diagnostic quality images that are accurately oriented and exposed.
• Utilizes dental-imaging safety techniques with minimal retakes.
• Demonstrates 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.

Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization:

• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatory to ensure instruments are properly prepared for sterilization by SPS standards.
• Prepares instruments in a manner that does not delay clinical care.

Clerical Functions:

• Assists patients in scheduling appointments.
• Fills gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments.
• Charts findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in patient records.

Information Management:

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

Employee Education:

• Complies with Employee Education requirements.
• Completes mandatory annual safety training sessions.

Work Schedule: Typically, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.. Schedule subject to change based on facility needs.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 629-00554F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Dental hygienist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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:
  1. Dental hygiene programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
  2. 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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 programs contain curriculum addressing radiologic procedures meets the requirement for certification as dental radiographers.

Grandfathering Provision: May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard (July 23, 2021) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification.

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

Dental Hygienist, GS-10 (Advanced Clinical)

Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) that is directly related to the position being filled fully meets the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at that level.

At the GS-09 level, dental hygienists 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 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 planing, radiographs/image interpretation, patient education (e.g. post-procedure, tobacco cessation, caries and perio-disease prevention), behavior management, management of stable medically compromised patients, instrument sharpening, inter-service communication.

Assignments. At the GS-10 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.

Preferred Experience:

• 2-5 years of experience practicing as a dental hygienist in a private practice or clinical environment.
• Experience providing care for adult medically compromised patients.
• Demonstrated skills in patient education, communication, and cultural competency.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-10. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-10.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care Systememployees, including satellites;
2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;
3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees;
4th Area of Consideration - all other applicants based on Veterans' Preference.

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.