Job Summary

The Phoenix VA Health Care System is recruiting for one (1) Dental Laboratory Technician, in the Dental service. The Technician provides services for the Phoenix VA Health Care System, and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The incumbent collaborates with the Dentist to select materials, design, and fabricate the final protheses, or corrective devices required for patients. The Technician works with complex removable, fixed oral-maxillofacial prosthesis, and removable implants.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/05/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. QUALITY RANKING FACTOR: This position includes a Quality Ranking Factor (the "Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities" or "KSAS" that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in a position but are not essential for satisfactory performance). The Quality Ranking Factor for this position is: possession of functional knowledge in the use of 3 Shape CAD/CAM equipment, and ExoCAD design software. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. OR, EDUCATION: Successfully completed 1.5 years of graduate education that is directly related to the work of this position as a Dental Lab Technician. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Conferral of degree(s) must be stated on transcript(s). Unofficial transcript(s) are acceptable] OR, COMBINATION: Possess equivalent combinations of experience and education as previously described to fully meet the requirements of this position. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Unofficial transcript(s) are acceptable.] INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (IOR) which is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that cannot be waived. To meet the basic requirement for the Dental Laboratory Technician series, applicants must demonstrate one of the following. Examples of specialized experience include: 1) Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials. 2) Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment. 3) Use of Precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors and microanalyzers. 4) Construction of dental prosthetic appliances. [YOUR RESUME MUST CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE YOUR EXPERIENCE] You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Medicine and Dentistry Technical Competence 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, sitting, and bending are required. The ability to lift materials, supplies, plaster, and boxes weighing up to 50 pounds, from floor to counter is required. Work Environment: Work involves regular and recurring exposure to potential hazards of plaster dust, fire (open flame), chemical exposure (methylmethacrylates, alcohol, polymers, and sterilizing agents), and communicable diseases exposure to blood, saliva, tissue, and bone). The Dental Laboratory Technician wears face masks, protective glasses, and uses aseptic techniques, when handling impressions, or other items that are potential infection hazards. 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/.