Registered Dental Assistant

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY
Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents.

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Alameda County Public Health Department has worked for over 80 years to improve the health and safety of its residents and the neighborhoods they live in. Traditional public health concerns such as disease outbreaks, environmental hazards and access to health care have been joined by contemporary concerns: bioterrorism, crime, violence, and substance abuse. Each of these poses a threat to public health and wellness and calls for short and long-term solutions that lie well outside traditional public health boundaries.  For more information about our Alameda County Public Health Department, please visit the Alameda County Public Health Department Website and latest Annual Budget document found on www.acgov.org

THE POSITION
Under supervision, to assist a Dentist or Dental Hygienist in the performance of his/her duties; to make appointments, screen patients, keep records; and perform related duties as required. The Registered Dental Assistant class is characterized by the ability to perform a variety of dental procedures; including application of sealants and fluoride varnish, which require knowledge of dental equipment, materials, procedures and terminology. 

THE OFFICE OF DENTAL HEALTH
The Office of Dental Health promotes the oral (dental) health of Alameda County residents by assessment of oral health problems and resources to address them. This unit assures access to community-based resources and programs, and develops policies that address the oral health needs of the community. The emphasis is on prevention and education.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the idea candidate will possess professional dental assisting experience (preferably with children ages 1 to 13 years) involving assessments, cleaning, and oral health education with an emphasis on prevention; knowledge and understanding of socio-economic and psycho-social factors affecting the wellness and treatment of public health, and other high risk infants, children and adolescents.

Critical attributes to the success of the Registered Dental Assistant include:

• A keen sense of safety awareness; identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee and patient safety; understanding the importance of compliance with OSHA standards and extensive knowledge of the minimum standards for infection control as defined in the California Code of Regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and organize work activities; taking advantage of available resources and organizing duties according to criticality.
• Ability to accurately and carefully follow established procedures for completing work tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively apply sealants and fluoride varnish in a public health setting.
• Educating patients and promoting optimal health by supporting, explaining, and instructing patients and their families in understanding the dental procedures and equipment used, as well as promoting the lifestyle changes required of the patient to achieve optimal oral health status.
• Willingness to assimilate and apply new job-related information in a timely manner; putting new knowledge, understanding and skill to practical use on the job.

 

Experience:  

The equivalent of one-year full-time experience as a Dental Assistant.   

And

License:  

Possession of a valid Registered Dental Assistant License issued by the Dental Board of California, possession of a radiation safety license issued by the Dental Board of California, and completion of a pit and fissure sealants course approved by the Dental Board of California.  

Substitution:  

Successful completion of a Dental Assistant curriculum from an accredited Dental Assistant Program may be substituted for the required experience.    

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:  

·  Principles and methods of sterilization of dental equipment, instruments, and supplies.

·  Uses of common dental instruments, equipment and material.

·  Dental hygiene and prophylaxis.

·  Dental office procedure and dental record keeping.

·  Dental X-Ray techniques.

·  Nomenclature and terminology of dentistry.

·  Computer database operation and data entry.  

Ability to:  

·  Keep dental records.

·  Take, develop and mount dental X-Rays.

·  Prepare, transfer and clean dental instruments, equipment and accessories.

·  Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, their families, providers, staff, internal and external partners and the general public in a variety of ethnic and cultural communities.

·  Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing wit linguistic and cultural proficiency.

·  Communicate information to influence behavior and improve health.

·  Follow prescribed procedures and organizational policies.

·  Incorporate ethical standards of practice into all interactions with individuals, organizations and communities.  

The examination will consist of the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:                                                           5:00pm, Tuesday, July 12, 2017
Minimum Qualification Review:                                                     Tuesday, July 26, 2017
Review of SQ for Best Qualified:                                                 Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Panel Interviews*:                                                                     Tuesday, August 29, 2017

*The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs  

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Lindsay Christopher, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-6393
Lindsay.christopher@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer