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The East Orange VA Medical Center is hiring for one, full-time, permanent Dental Hygienist. Dental Hygienist is expected to conduct medical assessments including, but not limited to, medical/ dental history, social history, vital signs, full periodontal assessment, & charting. They are expected to provide disease and treatment management recommendations, conduct denture care, scaling, and root planning, perform radiographs/image interpretation, sharpen instruments, & provide patient education.
06/10/2025 to 06/17/2025
$72,017 - $93,260 per year
GS 9
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Not required
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
None
No
Yes
CBTE-12745388-25-ZS
838413800
Major Duties:
1. Customer Service-Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public provide assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery.
2. Patient Care-Sets-up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover; handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently; assess the patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias ,medications for safe patient care and the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health. Provides routine and advanced oral prophylactic care to include application of fluoride solutions and to select the appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application; Provides gross debridement, deep scaling and curettage root planning procedures and provides denture care; Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the dentist for additional care when needed; Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays...etc....
3. Patient Education-Provides patient education appropriate to the veteran's needs and oral condition; Prepares and provides individual and group oral health care instruction to inpatients, outpatients, and caregivers educating patients and caregivers on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and effects of illness, addictions, medications and tobacco on the oral cavity.
4. Dental Imaging-Proper usage of dental radiography equipment, radiation safety, assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films; Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed; Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized.
5. Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization-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.
6. Clerical Functions-Assist patients in scheduling appointments and providing reminder calls to decrease the missed opportunity rate; Assists in filling gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments; Charts findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in patient records.
7. Patient Safety-Recognize age-related changes in individual patients and adapts patient environment to maximize patient's physical comfort and safety; Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position); Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients; Participates in patient identification and time-out per JCAHO requirements; Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:45am-4:15pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 21256-A
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
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.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/17/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12745388.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/838413800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.