Position overview

Canberra Health Services Dental is in the Division of Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Services (RACS) and offers a range of public dental services to the community including:

• Child and Youth dental services to all children under the age of 14 years who live in or attend an ACT school.
• Young people under the age of 18 with access to a Centrelink-issued Pension Concession or Health Care Card.
• Adult dental services for ACT residents who are the primary holder of a Centrelink-issued Pension Concession or Health Care Card.

Services include:

• Preventative dental interventions and health promotion
• Emergency dental care
• Restorative and prosthetic dental care
• Some orthodontic interventions for eligible clients

Services are delivered in the community as well as:

• Gungahlin Health Centre
• Belconnen Health Centre
• Civic Health Centre
• Phillip Health Centre
• Tuggeranong Health Centre
• Alexander Maconchie Centre
• Mobile Dental Clinic

The Dental Therapist/Oral Health Therapist position is a clinical role and is responsible for the provision of oral health therapy services to clients of the CHS Dental. The position may also include participating in the Student Clinical Placement Program and various outreach programs to the Canberra Community

Key Responsibilities

Under limited direction of the Senior Dental Therapist you will:

• Provide appropriate oral health interventions to eligible clients in the ACT, with support.
• Exercise independent judgment on routine professional matters and perform novel, complex or critical tasks under professional supervision, decreasing as expertise increases.
• Liaise with parents/carers/guardians and other service providers as required.
• Provide routine supervision for less experienced dental staff, discipline specific students, dental assistants and secondary school work experience students where relevant.
• Adhere to risk management processes, identifying and escalating issues appropriately.
• Comply with and contribute to the relevant policies, procedures and practice guidelines.
• Participate in quality improvement activities, research, and continuing professional development and performance appraisal.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Strong organisational skills with a high degree of drive.
• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet clients’ needs.
• Able to establish rapport with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong time management skills.

Qualifications

Essential

• Tertiary Qualification or related qualification in oral health.
• Holder of a Licence Certificate with ACT Radiation Council.
• Registered or eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a Dental Therapist/Oral Health Therapist.

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Standards and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.
• Hold a current driver’s licence.
• Ability to practice using adult scope in Dental Therapy.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 12 months paid clinical experience in the field of Dental Therapy.

Desirable

• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven experience, to provide oral health interventions to eligible clients.
2. Demonstrated experience in working effectively as an individual and as part of a team to manage the day-to-day operational requirements of Canberra Health Services Dental.
3. Experience in undertaking quality improvement and health promotion activities.
4. Ability to maintain high professional standards.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.