Dental Laboratory Technician

Summary

NOTE: This announcement has been extended to close on March 25, 2024. Applicant(s) who previously applied, do not need to re-apply.

This position is located within the Dental Laboratory Section of the Dental Service at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

03/12/2024 to 03/25/2024

• Salary

$54,292 - $70,578 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 8

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Tampa, FL 1 vacancy

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

25% or less

• You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -

• Work schedule

Part-time

• 24 Hours

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

None

• Job family (Series)

0683 Dental Laboratory Aid And Technician

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CARZ-12343338-24-LJJ

• Control number

781011700

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This job is open to

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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Duties

• THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*

The major duties include but are not limited to:

• Performs total fabrication of both fixed/semi-fixed restorations, full/removable partial dentures, orthodontic appliances and/or dental splints and obturators.

• Observes dental abnormalities presenting retention and design problems requiring special treatment planning and suggestions.

• Makes recommendations to be incorporated into patient treatment plans.

• Advises in the design of unique prothesis for trauma and cancer patients where oral tissue is mutilated or missing.

• Constructs wrought wire buccal arm clasps to reduce tension on teeth and prolong their life.

• Constructs acrylic esthetic replacements for gingival tissue removed during surgery to enhance patient self-image.

• Researches the best materials for use in laboratory procedures.

• Provides on-the-job training and basic dental laboratory instruction to hygienists, assistants, aids, volunteers, and students.

• Designs and constructs teaching models of different prosthetic appliances to demonstrate how proper principles of construction are incorporated into the final product.

• Waxes, invests, boils out, cures, and de-flasks acrylic bases for partial and complete dentures.

• Blocks out master casts and waxes complete dentures for try-in according to dentist prescriptions to check final tooth arrangement, appearance, and speech function.

• Shapes wax to contours desired in final dentures, with the thickness required to maintain facial contours, ensure comfort, and provide proper fit.

• Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues.

• Removes excess wax and smooths and polishes surfaces while exercising extreme care at all stages of fabrication as to not disturb the position of the artificial teeth.

• Reproduces dentures with a high degree of precision and accuracy by recording the relationship of teeth and ridge, removing teeth from dentures, and repositioning and waxing teeth for processing.

• Removes excess acrylic from dentures, grinds and selects methods to simulate contours of natural tissue polishes dentures carefully to remove scratches, and preserves anatomical borders developed by the dentist.

• Bends wrought wire clasps and bars to conform to the case design outlined upon the surveyor's cast.

• Tempers and shapes metal with various types of pliers into various component parts to be assembled, encased, and fused together with gold solder.

• Finishes, polishes, heats, treats, and fits metal onto the master case.

• Submits articulated casts for partial denture framework fabrication to the central dental laboratory, and upon receipt of the cast framework, adds saddle areas with the teeth and processes partial dentures as previously outlined.

• Fabricates crown, inlays, and fixed partial dentures from gold alloys, porcelain, or acrylic materials, alone or in combination, according to the requirements of the case.

• Selects the appropriate porcelain or acrylic facings of proper shade, size, and shape.

• Articulates casts, adapts wax to die, and carves patterns to proper anatomical contour and occlusion.

• Provides cutout space for veneers on facial surfaces where required, selects and adapts porcelain facings using a high degree of precision.

• Constructs and fabricates bite raisers, cleft palate obturators, fracture splints, immediate dentures, surgical template, and orthodontic appliances.

• Orders and stocks laboratory supplies, performs preventive maintenance on all equipment; and maintains records of work performed.

• Performs related duties as assigned.

NOTE: This is a part-time position (24 hours/week). Benefits and time-off accrual will be prorated and based on your part-time work schedule.

Work Schedule: Part Time, 24 hours per week, 3 days a week. Days to be determined at interview.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• You may be required to serve a probationary period

• Subject to background/security investigation

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency Requirement: 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

In addition to the English Language Proficiency, to qualify for this position at the GS-8 level, you must meet one of the following requirements:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience includes: using dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials; using laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment; and using precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; construction of dental prosthetic appliances. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit.

OR

SUBSITUTION OF EDUCATION: Successfully completed at least one and one-half (1 1/2) full years of graduate level education with course work or an internship that is directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technicianposition. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, may be used to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include courses directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) 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:

• Analytical Thinking

• Applies Technology to Tasks

• Medicine and Dentistry

• Quality Assurance

• 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: Physical activity requires bending, utilizing arms and the movement of hands and fingers in a very precise manual dexterity demands of dental technology. Lift 50 pounds, visual acuity is also very important because of the exacting requirements of the work, especially in color discrimination.

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/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (813) 972-2000.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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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• 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 window

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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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;

• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;

• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and

• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.