Dental Hygienist - Recruitment​/Relocation Incentive

Job Title

Duties

The organizational location of the position is:
This position is located in the Dental Service at Bonham, TX Duties may include but are not limited to:
Customer Service/Veteran-Centered Care

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers, and the public.
• Assists customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery.
• Delivers care that reflects the Veteran's and the family's personal goals, personal preferences, and freedom of choice.
• Demonstrates knowledge and application of patient and family-centered care in written care plans, instructions to patients, and in observation of the actual care provided.
• Demonstrates non-judgmental understanding of the Veteran's and family's knowledge, values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrates collaborative orientation to working with patients and families.

Patient Record System (CPRS)

• Sets up operatory for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover.
• Complies with patient identification, time-out, and reusable medical equipment processes.
• Handles instruments safely, accurately, and efficiently.
• Takes and records vital signs, reviews medical history.
• Charts oral conditions.
• Annotates chart findings, treatment plans, and treatment provided in Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• Assesses patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications, and comorbidities.
• Assesses the impact of patient's medical and dental condition on maintaining oral health.
• Recognizes age-related changes in individual patients, adapts patient environment, and maximizes patient's physical comfort.
• Provides routine oral prophylactic care.
• Provides gross debridement, scaling and root planning procedures.
• Provides subgingival curettage.
• Cleans dental prostheses, fixed and removable.
• Applies appropriate topical fluoride solutions or varnishes.
• Makes impressions for fluoride carrier trays.
• Manages dental recall system, referring patients to the doctor for additional care when needed.
• Administers topical anesthetic agents.
• Administers local anesthesia (check to ensure hygienist's state license allows and certification is current).
• Applies desensitizing agents.
• Performs routine maintenance of equipment components such as suction traps, water lines, etc.
• Accomplishes all procedures within standard infection-control protocols

Patient Education

• Provides patient education appropriate to the Veteran's needs and oral condition.
• Explains hygiene procedures, indications, complications and expected outcomes to individual patient and caregiver.
• Prepares and provides education on periodontal disease, wellness, health maintenance, oral hygiene practices, parafunctional habits, and effect of illness, addictions, medications, and tobacco on the oral cavity.

Dental Imaging

• Performs dental imaging which consists of taking digital and/or conventional radiographs of in-patients and outpatients according to prescription, including periapical, bitewing, occlusal, panoramic, cephalometric, and 3D imaging.
• Takes diagnostic quality images that are accurately oriented and exposed.
• Utilizes dental-imaging safety techniques with minimal retakes.
• Demonstrates proper infection-control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatory and in exposing images.
• Properly prepares instruments for sterilization by SPS standards.
• Prepares instruments in a manner that does not delay clinical care.

Safety

• Observes and complies with all established safety practices.
• Modifies care as appropriate for patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position).
• Modifies care based on patient's medical, dental, anxiety/phobias, medications, and comorbidities.
• Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients.
• Participates in patient identification and time out per TJC requirements.
• Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.
• Verifies that Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are updated.
• Reports any work-related injuries, illnesses, and diseases immediately to the supervisor.
• Ensures that working conditions and work practices within the worksite are such that the possibilities of on-the-job injuries are minimized.

Patient Safety Competency Statement:
The incumbent will be responsible for promoting a culture of safety and will fully cooperate in efforts to improve patient safety and eradicate potential events including the reporting of events resulting in actual or potential injury to a patient. Incumbent must demonstrate knowledge of the reporting procedures involving safety issues relating to patients.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework:
Not Available

Virtual:
This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:

Recruitment

Incentives:

A Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for a Highly Qualified Individual

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized