Job Summary

This position is located within the Dental Service at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC. The Dental Laboratory Technician provides direct laboratory support to staff dentists and indirect patient care.

Job Description

English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-8) in Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Dental Laboratory Technician, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Experience should include use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials; use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment; use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; and construction of dental prosthetic appliances. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed at least two (2) full years of graduate education or a master's degree that is directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technician position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Licensed professional dentists will be considered qualified for any grade level if they have, in the aggregate, the required experience in dental laboratory procedures. NOTE: Transcripts, unofficial or official, must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation of creditable specialized experience and education as listed above to meet the total requirements for this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and be directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Eye-Hand Coordination Quality Assurance Self-Management Technical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: Work requires long periods of standing, sitting and bending. It is necessary to climb onto counters in order to replenish plaster bins. The ability to lift plaster boxes weighing 30 pounds from the floor to the counter to the plaster bins is required. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to potential hazards of plaster dust, fire (open flame), chemical exposure (methylmethacrylates, alcohol, polymers, sterilizing agents) and communicable diseases (exposure to blood, saliva, tissue, bone). The person in this position wears face masks, protective glasses and uses special aseptic techniques when handling impressions or other items that are a potential infection hazard. The person in this position works in a clinic setting with some exposure to patients in dental treatment rooms. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.