Dental Assistant

<p>VA Portland Health Care System is a Complexity Level 1a Facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site medical system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon, outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington, and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: Assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. Customer Service 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. Chairside Assisting Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover. Passes instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently. Keeps operative field clear of debris and retracts oral tissues effectively and comfortably. Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer's instructions. Accomplishes all intra-operative procedures within standard infection control protocols. Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry. Assists in specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration. Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards. Dental Imaging Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, ceph, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats. Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider. Images are characterized by diagnostic quality, accurately oriented and exposed Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized. Imaging requests are accomplished within the desired time frame. Infection Control and Equipment Sterilization Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories Disinfects oral appliances to prevent cross contamination. Properly prepares instruments for transfer to SPD for sterilization. Follows all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment. Works closely with SPD to ensure availability of instruments so that clinical care is not delayed Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in exposing images. Utilizes all proper PPE per national and local policies. Follows all hospital infection control protocols including hand hygiene. Clerical Functions Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments. Initiates computerized progress note. Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records Locates/tracks all pending patient lab cases for use during patient appointments. Properly completes all dental laboratory cards. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 06:30am-5:00pm (8, 9,or 10 hour shifts available) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized</p><h3>Requirements</h3>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 trial period. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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."<h3>Education</h3>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/.