Dental Hygienist

Description:

The Birmingham VA Health Care System located in downtown Birmingham; Alabama is recruiting for a Dental Hygienist to work in the dental services area within the medical center.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2023.

Requirements:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. To qualify for appointment as a dental hygienist, all applicants must possess the following:

a.Citizenship. Be a Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with

b. 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.

c. 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.
(3) Exceptions for Non-Certified Dental Hygienist.

(a) 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.
(b) Non-certified individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a certified dental hygienist at or above the full performance level.
(c) Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
(d) Temporary appointments of non-certified dental hygienist may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.
(e) 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
(4) 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.

d. Grandfathering Provision. 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 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) Employees 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 journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
(3) Employees 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.
(4) Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
(5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

e. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

g. English Language Proficiency. Dental hygienist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations:

GS-08: To meet the requirements for the GS-08 grade level Dental Hygienist you must posses at least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-07) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs

a. Advanced knowledge of dental assisting across multiple areas of practice, and the demonstrated ability to provide guidance to staff dental assistants.
b. Skill in coordinating clinical work flow and assignments.
c. Ability to assist the Chief in Dental Clinic operations related to policy development, equipment requests and workload analysis.
d. Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative work relationships.
e. Ability to analyze clinically appropriate data effectively to optimize quality, performance, and productivity within section.
f. *Ability to perform supervisory functions such as assessing competency, providing performance appraisals and managing training.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/46 PART II APPENDIX G36

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements:
Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds
Reaching above shoulder
Both hands required
Both legs required
Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
Depth perception
Ability to distinguish basic colors
Excessive noise, intermittent
Working closely with others