Summary This position supports the Homeless Veteran Dental Initiative and is located within the Dental Service at the VA Western New York Healthcare System and is primarily located at the Bath, NY campus with one day per week at the Canandaigua campus. The Dental Laboratory Technician supports the care of the Homeless Veteran population through the provision of dental laboratory support in the areas of removable and fixed prosthodontics and general dentistry. Responsibilities ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** NOTE: This announcement has been extended to close on January 22, 2025. Applicant(s) who previously applied, do not need to re-apply. NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not-to-exceed 13 Months). Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration (more than 1 year but not more than 4). Term employees are eligible to earn leave and generally have the same benefits as permanent employees including health and life insurance, within-grade increases and Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan coverage. Term appointments may be extended without further competition (up to the 4 year maximum). The appointment to a Term position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment. The major duties include but are not limited to: Fabricates complete dentures and partial dentures; Boxes impressions and pours casts; Constructs custom trays, registration bases, and occlusion rims; Mounts casts on indicated articulator; Selects and sets up artificial teeth; Waxes, flasks, and boil out dentures; Mixes and packs acrylic and finishes and polishes dentures; Surveys master cast to implement the dentist's design; Fabricates components to include bending and adaption of wrought wire clasps; Implements laboratory phase of altered cast technique for correcting tissue impressions in some removable partials; Relines repairs or duplicates removable dentures; Processes poured impression using the material and sequence of techniques appropriate to the type of die being constructed; Prepares impressions, models, occlusal registrations and implant procedure components to be mailed to contracting Dental Laboratories; Designs, mills, polishes and fires prepared and scanned CAD/CAM images; Scans images to be imported into software to be sent to contracted Dental Laboratory; Fabricates soft maxillary/mandibular occlusal guards and fluoride carrier trays; Waxes up missing teeth and constructs stents for fixed prosthetic procedures; Receives, interprets, and processes prescriptions; Requests supplies on a timely basis; Maintains records and statistics as required for the laboratory; Performs regular care and maintenance of instruments and equipment; Practices infection control measures to prevent cross contamination to self or patients; and, Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidate. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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, to qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Dental Laboratory Technician, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes: use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials; use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment; use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; and construction of dental prosthetic appliances. Such assignments require a practical knowledge of oral anatomy and dentition, as well as, knowledge of laboratory procedures. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed at least one (1) full year of graduate level education with course work or an internship that is directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technician position. 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: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education 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: The work of this position is sedentary but also requires standing, walking, bending, lifting, and carrying of light dental items. 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 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. 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.