Title: Dental Assistant Senior

State Role Title: Direct Service Associate III

Hiring Range: $18.75-$20.00

Pay Band: 2

Agency: Virginia Department of Health

Location: VIRGINIA BEACH HQ

Agency Website: Jobs.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: State Employee Only - E

Job Duties

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health (VBDPH) is currently seeking a hardworking, dependable, organized, caring and experienced individual that enjoys working with children to be a part of our team as a full-time dental assistant to work at our dental clinic. Locations include Virginia Beach Health Department and the Dental Trailer at Birdneck Elementary School.

Under the direction of the dentist, the dental assistant will assist in four-handed dentistry, to include pediatric restorative and preventive procedures, provide patient education, chart existing oral conditions, expose and process intraoral/extraoral digital x-rays, clean and disinfect dental instruments and operatories and maintain dental equipment. Other responsibilities will include maintaining patient charts, filing, scheduling appointments, answering phones data entry and conducting financial interviews to determine patient eligibility.

This position also may regularly perform procedures for high-risk populations, comprising indigent or incarcerated patients or medically compromised patients diagnosed with HIV+, TB or hepatitis. Follows OSHA guidelines, disinfects operatory, disinfects & disposes of infectious waste, monitors autoclave function.

Dental Assistant Duties:

• Performs dental assistant duties within assigned parameters
• Assists in four-handed dentistry
• Performs dental assistant duties accurately and with skill applies topical anesthetics, medicinal agents, fluorides, and sealants
• Exposes and processes intraoral and extraoral digital x-rays
• Educates patients/parents by giving oral hygiene, plaque control and postoperative instructions
• Charts patients’ conditions at the instructions of the dentist
• Ensures patient is prepped properly and protective coverings are applied
• Gathers patient history and updates accurately 

Administrative Duties:

• Obtains documentation to determine eligibility
• Schedules appointments, files dental records, completes forms and maintains records
• Appropriately and confidentially gathers information for health history and eligibility, processes billing, and uses the computer for data entry and retrieval
• Orders dental and office supplies so there are no lapse in supplies for daily operation
• Instructs/trains dental assistants and hygienist students when requested

Maintenance of Operations/OSHA Compliance:

•  Disinfects, cleans, and sterilizes instruments
•  Disinfects and cleans dental operatories and equipment
• Properly disposes of sharps instruments and contaminated materials following OSHA regulations
•   Prepares daily set up and operatory trays so that care is delivered in timely manner

Other Duties:

• May conduct or assist with community outreach programs’ school screenings, presentations and events to promote oral health.
• May perform other duties as assigned; may be required to assist in the event of an emergency declaration.

This position is a Health-Care Personnel. VDH requires all Health-Care Personnel (HCP) to provide documentation of immunization or evidence of immunity to the following: hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella; a one-time dose of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine regardless of the interval since the last dose of tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine was administered (Td or Tdap boosters shall be received every 10 years); and the current year's seasonal influenza vaccination.

Wage employees are subject to the following conditions of employment:

• Wage employees serve at the will and pleasure of the appointing authority.
•  Continuing employment is based on available funding and business need.
• Wage employees are not covered by the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act. Therefore, they are not eligible for benefits which are provided to salaried employees, such as leave credits, holiday pay, insurance, access to the grievance procedure, etc.
• Wage employees are paid only for the hours they actually work.
•  Virginia state law currently requires that agencies not permit wage employees to work in excess of 29 hours per week on average over the course of a year. Wage employees may not work for VDH beyond 1,500 hours during the period of May 1 – April 30 of the following year (the Standard Measurement Period).
• Once a wage employee works the maximum of 1,500 hours during the Standard Measurement Period, the employee may be rehired as a wage employee of VDH only after the next Standard Measurement Period has begun.
• Wage employees are eligible to apply for all classified positions for which recruitment has been initiated, including those limited to State Employees Only.
• If a wage employee becomes employed in a classified position, he/she will be eligible to purchase retirement credit for the time worked as a wage employee.
• Continuing employment is based on available funding and business need.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience with automated patient systems and databases
•  Ability to work effectively with children in a calm and professional manner.
  excellent communication and customer service skills
• Knowledge of four-handed dentistry and procedures and the use of standard
  equipment
  

Additional Considerations

• X-Ray Certified
• Certified in Dental Radiology for Dental Assistants
• Certification for Class VI Topical Medicinal's
• Graduate of an accredited school for dental assisting; two years of experience in
  dental office/clinic may be substituted for graduation from school of dental assisting
• Bilingual in English/Spanish
  

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

VDH accepts only on-line applications. Faxed, mailed, or e-mailed applications will not be considered. Applications are accepted until 11:55 p.m. on the job closing date. Applications and/or resumes should include relevant work history which indicates your qualifications for this position. Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results of a state and federal criminal history background check and the Department of Social Service’s Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry check, U.S. HHSIG Exclusion List check, employment reference check and E-Verify. Other financial, credit, driving, background checks or completion of Statement of Economic Interests may be required for certain positions.

It is the policy of the Commonwealth and VDH that all aspects of human resource management be conducted without regard to race (or traits historically associated with race including hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists); sex; color; national origin; religion; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; age; veteran status; political affiliation; disability; genetic information; and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

VDH employees have a shared Code of Ethics, which can be found in the bottom banner of our website: www.vdh.virginia.gov. If you have been affected by DHRM Policy 1.30 layoff and possess a valid Interagency Placement Screening Form (Yellow Card) or a Preferential Hiring Form (Blue Card), you must submit the card before the closing date for this position. The Card may be submitted with the state application as an attachment.

As a V3 (Virginia Values Veterans) employer VDH Welcomes Veterans to apply! Supplemental Questions: You may be required to respond to position-specific questions at the end of this application. This information will help us evaluate your credentials and qualifications for the job. Failure to respond to any questions may disqualify you from further consideration.

Contact Information

Name: Cydnee Stuckey

Phone: 757-278-6692

Email: cydnee.stuckey@vdh.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.