Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-680: Dental Officer Series
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-119), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
This is an individual qualification standard.
Basic Requirements:
Degree in dental surgery (D.D.S.) or dental medicine (D.M.D.)
from a school approved by the Council on Dental Education, American Dental Association (ADA); or
other dental school, provided the education and knowledge acquired was substantially equivalent to
that of graduates from an ADA-approved school.
Applicants must be currently licensed to practice dentistry in
a State, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.
Applicants who meet the basic requirements qualify for GS-11.
Additional Requirements for Grades GS-12 and Above:
For purposes of this standard, the following terms are defined.
- Approved internship; approved residency-Training in a hospital dental internship or
residency approved by the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association.
- Graduate-level study--Either dental graduate study leading to an advanced degree such as
Master of Science, or postgraduate (nondegree) dental school study involving a level of
instruction comparable to that provided in a graduated degree program.
- National certifying board--An examining board in a special area of dental practice
recognized by the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association.
- Board eligibility--Qualification for examination by a national certifying board as a
result of having met the advanced training program requirements for a dental specialty.
Experience and/or training must be one of the following types:
- Post-licensure professional experience in the general practice of dentistry.
- Approved internship training.
- Approved residency training.
- Graduate-level study in an accredited dental school.
- Post-licensure professional experience in a specialized area of practice.
- Other advanced study or training (outside a dental school or hospital) creditable towards
satisfaction of training program requirements for Board eligibility.
For specialist positions, experience and/or training must clearly establish the applicant's status as a specialist Agencies should review the applicant's experience to determine the types and difficulty of the cases
dealt with, the level of knowledge and understanding of the specialization regularly required, the degree
of diagnostic skills and treatment planning ability involved, and the pertinent graduate study acquired.
| For GS-12: |
Two years of professional dentistry experience and/or training; or superior academic ability
defined as that demonstrated by an intern, who on the basis of an evaluation of all interns
who have completed training in the same hospital or in the same kind of internship program
over the past 5 years, would fall into the upper half of the group. |
| For GS-13: |
Three years of professional dentistry experience and/or training equivalent to at least that
of a Board eligible. |
| For GS-14: |
One year of professional dentistry experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level.
For specialist positions, certification as a diplomate by a national certifying board for a
specialized area of practice meets the requirements. |
| For GS-15: |
One year of professional dentistry experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level. |
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must be able to distinguish shades of color.
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