748job United States

Dental Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs › Veterans Health Administration (3689 current openings)

Who may apply

Limited to the following applicant groups:

  • Internal to an agency
Cape Coral, Florida
Full-time Security Clearance: Other
Application Deadline:
2026-08-21
Posted:
2026-08-12

2 days left to apply

Apply on usajobs.gov
Salary: $45,409 – $59,031 per year (GS-6)

Salary context

Based on 58 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role's pay spans a broad range among similar positions.

Job Details

Position Overview

This Dental Assistant position is located at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. The dental assistant is an integral member of the dental treatment team and assists the dentist in many aspects of direct patient care and performs other clinical, dental laboratory and administrative/clerical functions independently of direct supervision.

Duties


Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Dental Assistant provides assistance with general dentistry specialty procedures including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration services to the Veteran population enrolled in the Lee County VA Community Clinic.


Duties and responsibilities of the Dental Assistant include, but are not limited to:

  • Proficiently provides procedures commonly recognized by the dental profession for safe performance by a dental assistant: fourhanded chair-side dental assisting, dental lab procedures, and performing other such procedures as may be delegated by the dentist consistent with the Florida State Dental Practice Act.
  • Complies with all Patient Safety processes: Infection control, patient identification, time-out, iMed (informed) consent, medication reconciliation, and hand-off communication.
  • Follows standard operating procedures for all reusable medical equipment (RME), instruments, materials, and personal protective equipment (PPE) in use in the dental clinical areas,
  • Prepares the operatory with all needed equipment, materials and supplies for planned dental procedure(s) prior to seating the patient and cleans operatory after the patient is dismissed for timely turnover.
  • Captures and saves diagnostic quality digital radiographs of the mouth, gums, jaws, and/or teeth both intraoral and extraoral within the desired time frame.
  • Anticipates the dentist's need at each stage of the treatment procedure, including specialty procedures (in oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implant placement and retention), and makes instrumentation and/or materials readily available, whether in the dental clinic, operating room, or the patient's bedside.
  • Employs proper techniques and dexterity in the practice of four-handed dentistry.
  • Prepares and mixes dental materials per manufacturer's instructions.
  • Applies cavity bases and liners, desensitizing agents, fluoride (foam, gel or varnish), tooth conditioners/bonding agents and topical anesthesia prescribed by dentist to specified areas of the oral cavity.
  • Fabricates temporary acrylic, stainless steel, and polycarbonate crowns.
  • Removes crown/bridge temporaries and cleans the prepared tooth of debris.
  • Removes sutures, periodontal dressings, and socket (post-extraction) dressings.
  • Provides coronal polishing of natural teeth (including removing cement and debris from teeth and restorations.
  • Provides accurate and understandable procedure-specific patient education including preventive dental care practices, care of prosthetic appliances, demonstration of oral health care regimens, and post-operative/restorative instructions.
  • Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps and water lines.
  • Has a working knowledge of laboratory procedures, materials, and methods, including safety and proper handling of laboratory equipment.
  • Performs dental laboratory duties; cleans and polishes dentures and other prosthetic appliances; pours and trims dental stone models; constructs custom impression trays; fabricates bite rims and vacuum-formed stints, soft mouth guards and fluoride trays.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 21780F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications & Requirements

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

United States Citizenship. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, of VA Handbook 5005, Qualification Standards.

Basic Experience and/or Education.
  • Experience: Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work,
OR,
  • Education: Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
OR,

Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.Certification. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, 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.

Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence
  • Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.;
OR
  • Successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations developed by the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry
OR
  • Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).
***Certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). The American Dental Association (ADA) recognizes DANB as the national certification for Dental Assistants. DANB certification is not required, but highly desirable for the appointment of Dental Assistants up to and including the full performance level.***Certification in basic life support methods is highly desirable. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GRADE DETERMINATION for Dental Assistant, GS-06 (Full Performance Level). In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met:

Experience: At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. Knowledge, skills and abilities at the GS-05 grade level are:
  • Knowledge of anatomy and [ability to evaluate diagnostic quality.
  • Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.
  • Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures .
  • Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA.
  • Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the [following] technical KSAs:
  • Ability to identify normal oral anatomy.
  • Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures.
  • Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs.
  • Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist.
  • Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
  • Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
  • Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.
  • Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work include moderate lifting (15-44 lbs), heavy carrying (45 lbs and over), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, good distant vision in one eye, ability to hear whisper voice. There is moderate walking (3-4 hrs.) and some extended periods of standing (3-4 hrs.).

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Requirements

  • 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.
  • 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
  • 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.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Evaluations

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • Resume

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/21/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034833.
  1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
Source: Data sourced from USAJOBS