Bring your dentistry skills to the Department of Corrections if you are ready to make a real difference in the health and well-being of our inmate population! The Dentist role at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Somerset gives you the opportunity to grow your clinical skills while enjoying a strong work-life balance. You will work in a professional setting where teamwork, respect, and quality care guide your efforts. Step into a role where your dentistry work truly matters!
This position focuses on providing dental care to inmates while guiding the work of dental staff in a correctional environment. The role supports safe, effective, and well-coordinated dental operations within the institution. As a Dentist, you will perform the following duties:
- Clinical Examinations: Perform periodontal exams, review medical histories, evaluate X-rays, and diagnose oral conditions
- Treatment Delivery: Provide restorative and preventive treatments while maintaining infection control standards
- Care Coordination: Consult with specialists and arrange referrals for advanced procedures
- Staff Leadership: Guide, train, and evaluate dental personnel while supporting hiring and performance management
- Operational Review: Assess schedules, records, and documentation to maintain quality and respond to patient concerns
- Supply Oversight: Monitor dental inventory, approve supply requests, and ensure appropriate security and control
Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.
Work Schedule and Additional Information:
- Full-time employment, 37.5 hours per week
- Work hours are 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch break. You will not be required to work evenings, weekends, or on-call duties.
- Eligible for full retirement benefits as early as age 55
- DEA License renewal and liability insurance is covered by the Commonwealth
- Up to 50 hours of additional paid leave for job-related continuing medical education
- Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
- Salary: Competitive, with potential for yearly incentive payments in addition to your standard salary. (Quality Assurance Payments)
- You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:
- Graduation from an approved school of dentistry.
- Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within 3 months of graduating with a qualifying degree.
Special Requirements:
- You must possess a license to practice dentistry issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry.
Other Requirements:
- Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
- PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
- You must be able to perform essential job functions.
Legal Requirements:
- You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.
How to Apply:
- Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
- If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
- Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
- Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.
- All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only. Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.
Veterans:
- Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):
- 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).
If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.
The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
- Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
- Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
- Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
- You must provide complete and accurate information or:
- your score may be lower than deserved.
- you may be disqualified.
- You may only apply/test once for this posting.
- Your results will be provided via email.

