Dental Assistant

SRI is seeking committed and passionate Dental Assistants to join our team to provide critical services to detainees in custody at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Health Services Corps (IHSC) Medical Facilities in support of the ICE Detention Center Healthcare contract opportunity.

The dental assistant performs dental assisting duties that facilitate the work of the dentist and dental hygienist, including chairside assisting, instrument processing, sterilization, infection control, radiographic duties, dental equipment upkeep, and administrative tasks as directed by the dentist within prescribed policy and accreditation standards.

• Applicant must demonstrate successful completion of a dental assisting program located in the United States, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
• Applicant must have at least one year of recent clinical experience in the United States as a practicing dental assistant.

• Must hold and maintain a current unrestricted dental assisting certificate, license, or registration as required by the State Board of Dental Examiners (SBDE) in the state in which the duty station is located.
• Must hold and maintain dental x-ray certification as required by the SBDE in the state in which the duty station is located, or if the applicant practices in a state that does not certify radiology or does not allow certification for graduates of non-accredited programs, the applicant must submit evidence of dental radiology training, experience, and competence as determined by the employing agency.
• Dental Assistant National Board (DANB) certification is preferred but not required.
• Must maintain BLS for Healthcare Providers certification through the American Heart Association.

• Provides dental assisting including clinical and administrative duties to facilitate the work of the dentist and dental hygienist in a detention and/or residential setting in accordance with prescribed IHSC policy and pertinent accreditation standards.
• Assists the dentist and dental hygienist with patient treatment including all operatory set-up and cleanup procedures in accordance with IHSC policy and CDC guidelines (e.g., surface disinfection, waterline and suction treatment, proper sharps handling/disposal methods).
• Performs optimum sterilization and/or disinfection procedures including instrument processing, autoclave operation/maintenance, and spore testing in accordance with IHSC policy and CDC guidelines.
• Assists with the maintenance of patient records through appointment scheduling, documentation of subjective findings, vital signs, dictated oral conditions, and preparation/completion of dental forms.
• Provides patient education, including oral hygiene instructions, post-operative instructions, and availability of care instructions.
• Takes digital and/or film radiographs as ordered, including bitewing, periapical, and panoramic x-rays.
• Observes IHSC radiation safety protocols, EPA Radiation Protection Guidance and recommendations, National Council on Radiation Protection Guidance, and American Dental Association recommendations/guidance when exposing dental radiographs to assure optimal patient and provider safety.
• Maintains sharps and instrument accountability in the dental clinic through performance and logging of daily inventory of all sharps and instruments at the beginning and end of each workday.
• Maintains all required logs/inventories to include but not limited to biological monitoring log, biopsy log, sharps log, instrument log, chemical inventory, maintenance logs, etc.
• Collects and organizes dental data and submits to the regional dental consultant in a timely manner.
• Attends monthly dental teleconferences, organizational and local duty station meetings.
• May periodically be asked to travel to support dental care at other sites.
• Performs duties in support of the local medical unit and/or IHSC Dental Program, e.g., equipment maintenance, supply/equipment acquisition, performance improvement initiatives, document scanning.
• In the absence of the dentist and/or dental hygienist, the dental assistant will provide support services to the medical clinic under the direction of the supervisory authority or designee (e.g., performing vital signs and/or other duties within the scope of dental assistant practice).
• Adheres to and maintains awareness of all IHSC policies, procedures, directives, operational memoranda and accreditation standards.

• Knowledge and understanding of dental assisting principles such as four-handed dentistry, basic oral anatomy, dental materials, infection control, dental radiology technique and safety.
• Must adhere to requirements for safety, infection control, quality assurance, documentation, and data management.
• Completes and passes all competency testing initially, annually, and as needed.
• Completes all initial, annual and ad hoc training as…