Dental Hygienist - Bedford, United States - Department Of Veterans Affairs

Description

Summary

This Dental Hygienist position is in Specialty Care services at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, located at the Bedford location. This position is a full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The Dental Hygienist provides direct patient care under the general supervision of the dentist and performs other clinical and clerical functions independently of direct supervision. It is expected that they provide direct patient care and receive guidance from higher-level or supervisory staff members for only the most complex patients. Duties include, but not limited to:

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public.
• Assists customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery.
• Delivers care that reflects the Veteran's and the family's personal goals, personal preferences, and freedom of choice.
• Demonstrates knowledge and application of patient and family-centered care in written care plans, instructions to patients, and in observation of the actual care provided.
• Demonstrates non-judgmental understanding of the Veteran's and family's knowledge, values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrates collaborative orientation to working with patients and families.
• Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover.
• Complies with patient identification, time-out and reusable medical equipment processes.
• Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently. Takes and records vital signs, reviews medical history.
• Charts oral conditions, periodontal charting, and restorative findings utilizing electronic dental record (DRM Plus).
• Assesses patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications, and comorbidities.
• Assesses the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health.
• Recognizes age-related changes in individual patients, adapts patient environment, and maximizes patient's physical comfort.
• Provides routine oral prophylactic care; Provides gross debridement, scaling and root planning procedures; Provides subgingival curettage; Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable; Applies appropriate topical fluoride solutions or varnishes.
• Administers antimicrobial agents where appropriately under the supervision of the Dentist.
• Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the doctor for additional care when needed; Administers topical anesthetic agents; May administer local anesthesia (check to ensure hygienist's state license allows and certification is current); Applies desensitizing agents.
• Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps, water lines maintenance, etc.; Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection-control protocols. In addition to providing care in the dental clinic setting, care will also be performed on in-patient units utilizing portable equipment.
• Participates with Dental hygiene student education and supervision.

• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• This position is a NAGE Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.