Dental Assistant II - Correctional Health Services - Orange County

 In addition to the hourly salary, eligible applicants may receive premium pay for the items listed below:

• Bilingual pay: Qualified employees who meet the criteria found (page 18) shall receive an additional forty $0.40 cents per hour for all hours paid.
• Night Shift Differential pay: Employees assigned to a night shift shall be paid a night shift differential for each hour actually worked on the assigned night shift. Payrate is determined by assigned shift hours found here (page 16).
• Jail Supplement pay: An employee in this classification who is assigned to work in an adult or juvenile correctional or institutional facility shall receive an additional $1.50 per hour for all paid hours.
• On-Call Pay: An employee in this classification who is assigned on-call duty by the County shall be eligible for On-Call pay as detailed here (page 17).
• Call-Back pay: An employee in this classification who returns to work because of an agency/department request shall be eligible for Call-Back pay as detailed here (page 17).

 
HEALTH CARE AGENCY (HCA)
The County of Orange, Health Care Agency (HCA) is a dynamic organization dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that promotes the achievement of optimal individual, family and community health. Under the direction of the Agency Director, a new and dynamic executive team with an organizational structure comprised of seven (7) service areas - Administrative and Financial, Correctional Health, Director's Office, Medical Health, Behavioral Health Services, Public Health, and Strategy & Special Projects - is committed to meeting the health needs of the diverse Orange County community.
 
CORRECTIONAL HEALTH SERVICES
Correctional Health Services (CHS) is comprised of two separate entities, Adult Correctional Health Services (ACHS) and Juvenile Health Services (JHS). CHS provides medical, dental, nursing, infection control, health education and pharmaceutical services at a community standard of care. Juvenile Health Services (JHS) provides medical, nursing, dental and pharmaceutical services at a community standard of care for youth who reside in the County’s four residential facilities operated by County of Orange Probation (OC Probation) and Social Services Agency (SSA) Departments. Dental services are provided at Orange County Jails and Juvenile Hall.
 
THE OPPORTUNITY
As a Dental Assistant II, the incumbent will provide hands on assistance to the dentists in the care and treatment of patients. Due to the types of patients served and the cases seen, the clinic requires one on one support for the dentist and the dental team.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Providing dental services in accordance with the policies and procedures of the dental department
• Operating dental radiography equipment for the purpose of oral radiography 
• Performing and assisting in 4-handed dentistry
• Mouth-mirror inspections of the oral cavity, to include charting of obvious lesions, existing restorations, and missing teeth
• Screening dental sick-calls
• Sterilizing dental instruments and maintaining proper infection control
• Managing patient schedules and fulfilling front-office duties
• Managing dental supplies/materials and fulfilling back-office duties
• Under the direction of the dentist, assisting in the preparation of medication for dispensing to patients
• Recognizing and reporting unusual events to dentist/dental officer (e.g., patient emergencies during treatment)

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES
The ideal candidate will have two (2) years of experience practicing in dental field.
 
The ideal candidate will also possess the knowledge, skills and abilities that demonstrate the following competencies:
 
Professional & Technical Expertise

• Knowledge of California Dental Laws and OSHA Regulations related to infection control & prevention
• Taking dental x-ray images using digital x-ray equipment (including sensors)
• Working with dentists in providing oral health evaluations, oral hygiene instructions, and dental care/treatment to youths and adults 
• Maintaining general housekeeping, sterilization, infection control practices, waste management and compliance with general safety standards
• Taking inventory and maintaining sufficient dental supplies and materials for all dental offices
• Taking inventory of and accountability for dental instruments and sharps
• Understanding and applying PC computer knowledge and searching, retrieving, and entering   information into online systems
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook

Patient Focus

• Delivering quality patient-centered care and services
• Advocating for patients by creating a comfortable dental clinic setting for youths and adults
• Establishing productive and professional relationships 

Building & Maintaining Relationships | Interpersonal Savvy

• Providing oral health services and dental care/treatment to patients 
• Remaining calm and appropriately focused in difficult interpersonal situations involving diverse interests, conflict, and firm deadlines
• Collaborating with others to create a teamwork environment for tasks and projects
• Building and maintaining effective and collaborative working relationships with CHS healthcare team, security staff, community hospital staff and other County agencies

Writing | Oral Communication

• Elaborating to patients on dental care and treatment
• Maintaining dental charts, medical histories, and other required documentation
• Communicating effectively with patients of all ages and from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:

• Incumbents must NOT have felony convictions or be on any form of probation.
• Must be able to pass and maintain background investigation to the satisfaction of the Probation and Orange County Sheriff-Coroner. Background screening includes completion of a Personal History Form, interview with a background investigator, fingerprinting, and may include a polygraph test. Some of the areas considered in the background screening include prior convictions, traffic violations, drug use and credit problems, employment history, professional references, and education verification (i.e., degree, license, or official transcripts). Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (N.A.C.E.S.).
• Correctional Health Services are a 24-hour, 7-days per week facilities. Incumbents may be required to be on-call or occasionally work on weekends, evenings or night shift and holidays. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Please click here to view the minimum qualifications for the Dental Assistant II.

 
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Independent body mobility to stand, walk long corridors, and climb or descend multiple stairways quickly; bend, stoop, and sit for prolonged time; strength to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 lbs; manual dexterity to reach, grasp, manipulate small objects and precision instruments, and perform delicate dental procedures; manual dexterity to hand write or use computer keyboard; vision sufficient to see/read gauges, labels on medications, and computer screen; hear and speak well enough to communicate with patients at normal conversation level in person and over the phone.
 
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
For assignments in Correctional Health, incumbents will be required to work in a locked facility with adult inmates and/or youths who may have multiple and complex health, social, and psycho-social needs; wear protective equipment/clothing as required by protocol; may work with patients who have a communicable disease. Incumbents may be on-called or occasionally work on evenings, weekends, and/or holidays. The environment can also be noisy and at times chaotic, will be exposed to profanity, and there is a "no hostage" policy.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all applications to identify qualified candidates. After screening, only those candidates that meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the next step in the selection procedures. Candidates will receive notification via e-mail of further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.
 
Veterans Employment Preference Policy (VEPP)
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy. 
 
Application Screening | Application Rating (Refer/Non-Refer)
Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those applicants that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.
 
Online Assessment (Weighted 100%)
Applicants who meet desirable qualifications will be invited to participate in a series of online examinations related to the essential job functions. The most successful candidates will be placed on an eligible list. 
 
Based on the Agency/Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. Candidates will be notified via e-mail of any changes in the selection procedures. 
 
Eligible List
Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.