Career Center

Summary

The Nebraska Western Iowa (NWI) VA Healthcare System is recruiting for a Supervisory Dental Hygienist. The supervisory dental hygienist is responsible for the supervision - administrative management - and direction of dental auxiliary staff.

Qualifications

Dental Hygienist

Basic Requirements:

• To qualify for appointment to this position - all applicants must possess the following: Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education - 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 - 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: Public Law 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: All Dental Hygienist employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (07/23/2021) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the 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: Dental Hygienist grandfathered under this provision 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
• Dental Hygienist in this occupation - 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
• Dental Hygienist 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
• Dental Hygienist 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
• Dental Hygienist 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 required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• Grade Determinations: Supervisory Dental Hygienist - GS-10 In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-10 you must possess one (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-09) and fully meet the following KSAs at the GS-09 level
• Knowledge of hygiene procedures to explain the process and indication - complications and expected treatment outcomes for each
• Knowledge of proper usage of dental radiography equipment - radiation safety - assessment of proper image capture and interpretation of films
• Knowledge to select appropriate available fluoride products and indications/limitations for safe and proper application
• Skill in detecting plaque and calculus - dental abnormalities/pathologies - assessing inflammation and providing safe instrumentation for each procedure
• Skill in 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
• Ability to assess the patient's medical - dental - anxiety/phobias - medications and comorbidities to administer safe patient care
• Ability to assess 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
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): Advanced knowledge of dental hygiene and/or dental assisting across multiple types of dental practice to provide guidance and training to dental auxiliary staff
• Skill in coordinating clinical workflow and work assignments
• Ability to develop policy - manage equipment requests and provide workload analysis in Dental Clinic operations
• Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills - including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees - team leaders - and managers
• Ability to analyze clinically appropriate data and make recommendations to optimize quality - efficiency - performance - and productivity within service
• *Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed
• competency assessments
• performance evaluations
• selection of staff
• and recommendation of awards - advancements - and when appropriate - disciplinary actions
• Preferred Experience: Basic Life Support Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Dental Hygienist specific qualification standard: https://www.va.gov/OHRM/QualificationStandards/HT38/0682-DentalHygienist.pdf The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-10
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Prepares work assignments - monitors clinical performances of dental auxiliary staff - and conducts performance appraisals
• Ensures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements - establishes and monitors the quality of the pre-analytical processes as part of the overall dental service quality management program - and assures corrective action is initiated as needed
• Conducts orientation and competency assessments of assigned staff
• Develops policies and procedure - manages document control - develops performance standards - position descriptions and functional statements - and is responsible for professional and administrative management of dental auxiliary to include budget execution
• Provides direct patient care - including: 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 (including risk factors) - instrument sharpening - and inter-service communication
• Work Schedule: 7:30-4:00 Monday-Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized