Dentist - Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Summary

An Oral Surgeon performs a full range of professional dental duties in connection with the treatment of commonly encountered dental diseases or dental health problems requiring standard corrective measures. The candidate provides patient care which is appropriate to the cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult (ages 18-65), or older adult (ages 56-older) patients.

Duties

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Washington DC VA Medical Center is filling one or more vacancies for a Dentist-Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, AD-0680-15.

Opening Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026

Closing Date: Friday, January 29, 2027

The cut-off dates are: November 12, 2026; November 26, 2026; December 10, 2026; December 24, 2026; January 7, 2027; January 29, 2027. The cut-off date will be used to evaluate candidates for the initial available vacancies.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

Customer service

• Relationships with management, co-workers, patients, and the public are consistently courteous, respectful, and cooperative in nature.
• Employee will display a cooperative attitude and will effectively work together to implement the organization's mission and goals and support performance measures.
• Employee will ensure productivity is maintained at the established level utilizing recommended Central Office Relative Value Unit (RVU) requirements.

Patient care

• Oral examination
• Intra and extraoral radiographs
• Hard and Soft Tissue Biopsy
• Cultures and cytologic smears
• Admission history and physical examination
• Craniofacial analysis
• Surgical and nonsurgical management of infections in the oral complex
• Surgery of erupted teeth, nonerupted teeth and associated bone and soft tissue
• Repair of oral soft tissue lacerations
• Surgery/treatment of benign and malignant tumors and cysts, including cryosurgery
• Comprehensive management of oral manifestations of chronic systemic diseases
• Minor tooth movement
• Guided tissue Regeneration
• Vestibuloplasty, frenectomy, mucogingival surgery
• Surgical and nonsurgical management of infections of the maxillofacial complex and neck
• Surgery of the lip
• Tracheostomy
• Repair of injuries of the mandible, maxilla, alveolar process, bony orbit, and nasal bones
• Placement of dental and maxillofacial implants, vestibuloplasty and associated soft tissue grafting
• Minor and major salivary gland surgery
• Maxillary / Mandibular osteotomies, and repair of cleft lip, alveolar, and palate deformities
• Local / topical anesthesia
• Cranial nerve blocks and nitrous oxide/ oxygen analgesia

Leadership

• Serves as Program Manager of the oral surgery section in the dental department.
• The incumbent provides leadership, training, and guidance to the General Practice Residents (GPR) and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residents rotating through the oral surgery section of the dental department.
• Provides oral surgery specialty consultation and guidance to dental clinical staff members and other clinical services in the hospital.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate departmental orientation for oral surgery residents rotating from other facilities.
• Acts as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for complicated care in the community Oral & Maxillofacial treatment plans.
• Consults with Prosthetics, OR, Sterile Processing Service (SPS), Biomed and Pharmacy regarding the needs of the oral surgery section.
• Assists in Joint Commission and other survey readiness.
• Assists in ensuring that the National Patient Safety Goals are met.

Work Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework: Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Requirements

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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 examination.
• 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.
• Residency or Comparable Experience. Completion of an approved residency program in general practice or specialty, or comparable experience as a dentist actively involved in treating medically compromised patients. NOTE: The appointing official may approve, under unusual circumstances, a waiver of Residency or Comparable Experience.
• Licensure and Registration. Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice dentistry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or in the District of Columbia. The dentist must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

Grade Determinations:

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.

Preferred Experience:

1. Experience working in an Operating Room.
2. Previous experience with conducting lectures, mentoring and teaching.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is AD-15.

Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing and recurring bending and reaching are required while performing - surgical procedure. The Oral Surgeon must also demonstrate above average dexterity in manipulating dental instruments and materials. Must be able to distinguish shades of color.

Work Environment: Work involves regular and recurring exposure to the hazards of radiation and communicable diseases. The dentist uses face mask, gloves, gowns and goggles during the performance of clinical procedures.

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.

VA encourages persons with preference to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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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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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal 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.