Staff Dentist (O-5 Billet) Non-Supervisory

Full Job Description

The Staff Dentist position within DHS IHSC provides direct patient care, oversees dental auxiliary staff, and supports the local chief dentist in clinical and administrative tasks.

Duties include managing dental operations, ensuring safety protocols, and participating in quality improvement initiatives.

Requires DDS/DMD, unrestricted license, 3+ years clinical experience, and strong oral surgery skills. This position is only open to USPHS officers and Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: This position is considered hazardous duty in a detention setting. Requires physical exertion such as lifting objects greater than 30 pounds.

Required to perform CPR/emergency care standing or kneeling.

Must have the ability to assist sick, injured or aging patients or staff exiting the building (may require lifting, dragging, wheeling or carrying someone who weighs significantly more than self).

Work necessitates some physical characteristics that will be required when responding to an emergency situation, such as running short distance, prolonged standing and working in an austere environment.

Major Duties:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Serves as clinical team leader for 1-2 auxiliary staff.

Distributes and balances the clinical workload, schedules timely accomplishment of tasks, provides instruction related to clinical procedures, and exercises clinical oversight for team members.

Contributes to staff clinical orientation, training, and competency testing.

Provides emergent, urgent, and routine oral health care for medically and dentally complicated patient population at complex facility with 1000 or greater capacity.

Exercises independent judgment in making treatment decisions. Exhibits flexibility to formulate new approaches for unusual circumstances in the presence of incomplete or conflicting findings.

Monitors appropriateness of care provided by auxiliary staff. Establishes and directs auxiliary clinical schedule to ensure timely access to care.

Performs electronic health record documentation and forms management.

Proper judgment is required to prevent serious delays in provision of dental services and avoid adverse impact on the health status of thousands of patients processed through facility.

Serves as the acting local chief dentist during his/her absence.

During tenure as acting local chief dentist the incumbent serves as the responsible dental health authority for the facility on behalf of the health services administrator.

The periodic acting role requires collaboration with multiple stakeholders including IHSC, ICE, and detention staff to plan and administer all aspects of dental unit operations: patient care, budget, management, scheduling, staffing, training, evaluations, supplies, equipment, and maintenance.

Assists the local chief dentist with preparation for 5+ recurring independent accreditations and reviews.

Participates in dental clinic environmental health and safety protocols including hazardous materials management, radiation safety, and sharps/instruments safety in accordance with IHSC policy.

Assures optimum sterilization and disinfection procedures in the dental clinic in accordance with IHSC policy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Facility resource on dental care and dental clinic operations. Provides initial and annual dental training to qualified health care professionals as necessary.

Participates in local and national quality improvement initiatives.

Utilizes extensive knowledge base and independent judgement to serve as a project officer for tasks as assigned (e.g., equipment acquisitions, training program development, and policy and procedure revisions and development).

Attends national dental teleconferences, agency teleconferences, and local duty station meetings. Collects, organizes, and submits dental data as requested.

Position may require up to 30% TDY travel to support mission critical staffing.

Serves as the acting local chief dentist responsible for all clinic operations and administrative tasks when TDY at sites without a dentist.

Other duties as assigned in support of the local medical unit and/or IHSC dental program.

Adheres to IHSC policies, procedures, directives, operational memoranda, and accreditation standards as prescribed by ICE and IHSC.