Summary

The Salem VA Medical Center located in Salem, Virginia is hiring for a General Dentist for the referral coordination team within Access and Scheduling Management Service. The scope of practice that a specific provider may perform is defined through the medical center's credentialing and privileging process.

Duties

This position will be assigned to the Referral Coordination Team (RCT) and Community Care, aligned under the Clinical Care Coordination Manager, which falls under the Access and Scheduling Management Service within Health Administration. A Dentist must maintain clinical privileges at the VA Healthcare System and provide up to 50% clinical time (patient care) during the Referral Coordination position within consult management. The General Dentistry dental officer shall be proficient in all aspects of general dentistry, including the ability to perform selected specialty services.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Enhance the quality of clinical outcomes and Veteran satisfaction while offering the Veteran the opportunity to make an informed decision about their care.
• Reduce the average time it takes to schedule appointments, whether the appointment is in the VA's direct care system or in the community.
• Perform clinical triage of the dental referral (consult).
• Document the availability and selection of VA Care options and modalities, and Community Care options.
• Coordinate with other specialties, as needed.
• Perform a warm hand-off with the appropriate care option.
• Disposition to the specialty referral appropriately (consult).
• Empower Veterans with key information to help them make more informed decisions about where to receive that care.
• Have clinical knowledge of a variety of dental procedures and dental specialties.
• Provide clinical and administrative consultation and ongoing education to Primary Care and Specialty Care.
• Approve pending treatment plans, apply appropriate SEOCs, and priorities within 72 hours of initiation of a consult.
• Coordinates with VACC Dental Advanced Medical Support Assistants.
• Evaluate diagnostic information provided to the VA through community care providers. Request additional information where necessary.
• Evaluate and weigh multiple treatment options.
• Review patient medical records and determine limiting factors in the patient's dental care to include extant records in CPRS, DRM+, and Sidexis.
• Communicate authorizations and changes to requested procedures.
• Enter authorized care into Dental Community Care consults.
• Communicate with the Chief of Dental regarding patient care.
• The provider should possess the expertise and competency to perform the following:
• • Make oral and radiographic examinations of the oral cavity.
  • Diagnose pathological or irregular oral conditions.
  • Administer local anesthesia.
  • Perform routine and complex restoration of teeth.
  • Perform simple and complex extractions of teeth.
  • Perform alveoloplasty and other routine surgical procedures.
  • Perform prosthetic dentistry to include immediate dentures, full dentures, partial dentures, crowns, and fixed bridge work.
  • Perform routine endodontic procedures on single and multi-canal teeth.
  • Perform routine and surgical procedures within the scope of a general dentist.
  • Approve pending treatment plans, apply appropriate SEOCs and priorities within 72 hours of initiation of a consult.
  • Coordinates with VACC Dental Advanced Medical Support Assistants.
  • Evaluate diagnostic information provided to the VA through community care providers. Request additional information where necessary.
  • Evaluate and weigh multiple treatment options.
  • Review patient medical records and determine limiting factors in patient's dental care to include extant records in CPRS, DRM+, and Sidexis/MiPAcs.
  • Record the request for service for treatment plans in DRM+.
  • Communicate authorizations and changes to requested procedures.
  • Display knowledge of dental eligibilities as delineated in VA Handbook 1130.01.
  • Enter authorized care into Dental Community Care consults.

Work Schedule: 7:45am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday

Telework: Ad-hoc, not regular and recurring.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Dentist Basic Requirements

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with section A, chapter 3, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• English Language Proficiency. Dentists, including residents, appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).
• Education. A degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery or dental medicine resulting from a course of education in dentistry. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are (1) United States and Canadian schools of dentistry listed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation(CODA), in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed.(2) Schools (including foreign schools) accepted by the licensing body of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia as qualifying for full and unrestricted licensure provided the licensure requirements include a written examination measuring science achievement and a performance examination measuring clinical competence certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. ~AND~
• Residency or Comparable Experience. Completed, or you are currently completing, a residency program in general practice or specialty, or comparable experience as a dentist actively involved in treating medically compromised patients. ~AND~
• Licensure and Registration. Currently hold, or will hold, a current, full and unrestricted license to practice dentistry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Note: Dentists must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

Dental Staff Requirements: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must meet the following requirements.

(1) Staff Dentist. An individual that demonstrates the ability in the field of general dentistry or a dental specialty who is employed to perform the duties related to various professional activities of patient care and treatment without supervision. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must demonstrate ability in the general practice of dentistry; be capable of assisting in maintaining accepted standards of professional care in VA facilities; and be capable of accepting full responsibility for the proper care and treatment of assigned patients.

NOTE: All dentists, including residents, consultants and attendings, will accomplish the numerous administrative requirements of medical staff members, including but not limited to: mandatory training, attendance on medical center committees, and computer and privacy compliance.

Preferred Experience: Board certified. At least 3 years in dental practice as an independent provider.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is Grade 15. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is Grade 15.

Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - The work is largely office based and in a sedentary setting. No manual labor is required above ordinary situations. Incumbents must be capable of using a computer given that all clinical charting is electronic. This position at times requires moderate lifting up to 44 lbs., carrying objects up to 15 lbs., frequent reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, hands and legs, use of cranes and motor vehicles, walking & standing up to 8 hours, bending and climbing and able to hear whisper. The incumbent must be physically, emotionally, and mentally stable to efficiently perform the essential functions of this position without hazard to themselves or others.

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/.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.