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Summary 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. Responsibilities Customer Service/Veteran Centered Care: 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 written care plans, 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. Patient Care: Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently. Assesses 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 prophylactic care to include application of appropriate fluoride solutions. Provides gross debridement, scaling and root planing procedures. Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable. Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the doctor for additional care when needed, Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays. Administers topical anesthetic agents, Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection control protocols. 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: 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: 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. Clerical Functions: Assists patients in scheduling appointments, Assists in filling gaps in the schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. Chart's 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. Patient Safety: 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. Work Schedule: 0730-1600 M-F Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: FS521-51382-A Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications 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 Education 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information 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. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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