The Dental Laboratory Technician position is located at the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The technician works with a General Dentist or Prosthodontist to design, fabricate and service a wide range of dental prostheses and appliances.The technician assists with complex removable and fixed oral-maxillofacial appliances including fixed, semi-fixed, or removable implant cases, partial and complete dentures.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/06/2025. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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; using precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; and constructing dental prosthetic appliance, fabrication of crowns, fixed and removable partial dentures, and complete denture prostheses (EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Eye-Hand Coordination Physical Strength and Agility Quality Assurance Security Self Management 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: The work is mostly sedentary with occasional standing and lifting of up to 50 pounds. Employees routinely uses lathes, model trimmers, furnaces and sharp tools with a potential for injury. Normal safety precautions must be followed. All tasks do not involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissue, but the potential to exposure exists through appliances used by a known risk patient such as seropositive HBV and HIV individuals. (OSHA Exposure Category II). 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/.
The incumbent functions in the dental laboratory as a fully qualified and experienced technician helping provide dental services to our veteran population. By applying an in-depth knowledge of a full range of dental laboratory services and functions, and exhibiting the seasoned judgment normally expected by this technical specialist, he/she performs the following: Serves as a subject matter expert to dental staff on fabrication, fitting, and adjustment of dental prostheses and appliances. Oversees the storage, transport, and transfer of items to the Central Dental Laboratory for fabrication. Manages the inventory of the dental laboratory including requests for supplies and stocking teeth. Researches and evaluates new laboratory materials and techniques and recommends changes to the department to maximize efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. Assumes responsibility for quality and quantity of work accomplished in the laboratory and for the coordination of the work achieved through the Central Dental Laboratory. Manages work to be completed in a timely manner. Conducts minor repairs and maintenance to the equipment, and recognizes and eliminates any hazards to employees in the dental laboratory. Uses body substance isolation and universal precautions to maintain a safe environment. Applies regulatory standards for protection of patients and staff. Ensure smooth operations in the dental clinic, including office operations, as required. Maintain current knowledge of the office operation and during staff absence will provide coverage. Represent the program in standing Medical Center Committee functions. Assist in quality of care monitors and quality improvement activities. Perform the everyday functions of the dental clinic and laboratory including packaging, tracking, and logging all outgoing dental cases to the Central Dental Laboratory. Ensures infection control standards are upheld in the dental laboratory and with all transfer of products and people in and out of the laboratory. Serves in conjunction with fellow lab technicians and may offer support and teaching techniques to fellow and/or new employees and students. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Dental Laboratory Technician/PD40268A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized