Summary

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is recruiting for two Health Technicians (Optometry). This Health Technician position functions primarily in the role of optometric medical personnel in the Eye Clinic. The incumbent is responsible for assisting the Ophthalmology and Optometry staff/resident physicians in the care of patients requiring optometric preliminary diagnostic tests and procedures in the eye clinic. *Relocation Incentive offered to qualified candidates*

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship English Language Proficiency
• Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Experience and Education Experience
• One year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field demonstrating the applicant's ability to perform the work or by demonstrating a basic understanding of work in the health care field
• OR - Education
• Successful completion of two academic years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours related to health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant or associate degree - or completion of an independent study course in an optometry related technician or assistant field
• OR - Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying
• Examples are listed below: Six months of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge of optometry assistant theory and practices and general understanding of the health technician/assistant duties and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant related courses
• Successful completion of a course for health care technicians or assistants - hospital corpsmen - medical service specialists - or hospital training in a program given by the U.S. Armed Forces - the U.S. Maritime Service - or the U.S. Public Health Service - may be substituted on a month-for-month basis
• Creditable Experience
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills and abilities associated with current health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant practice
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Grandfathering Provision
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• GRADE DETERMINATION Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-07 Experience
• One year of experience comparable to the next lower level (GS-6) which demonstrates the knowledge - skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled
• These are: Ability to provide patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions - to include assisting with patient contact lens insertion - removal and hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) care
• Ability to accurately enter into a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e. - eyeglasses prescription) or lensometer findings - including sphere - cylinder and axis
• Ability to perform patient spectacle fitting and dispensing - including selection of appropriate frame - ophthalmic lenses - interpupillary measurements (distance and near) and proper segment height determination - as well as the ability to transpose sphere - cylinder and axis
• Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests
• Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level - the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to determine preliminary objective estimate and/or refinement of the optical status of the eye - not to include the patient's final subjective refraction
• Ability to triage and manage eyeglasses issues (e.g. - measurement of vertex distance - base curve - prism correction - center thickness - slab off - Fresnel prism - decentration - etc.)
• Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation - near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near)
• Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures
• Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears
• Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions
• Preferred Experience Ability to perform ocular diagnostic testing including visual fields - fundus photography - and optical coherence tomography Ability to perform refraction Ability to instill eye drops The ideal candidates will have knowledge in working with legally blinded patients in Low Vision clinic - specialty visual acuity testing such as Low Vision History - ETDRS and Feinbloom (including knowledge of M Notation) - training in the use of Low Vision Devices - including hand magnifiers such as CCTV and testing patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
• Reference
• For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements
• Work is mostly sedentary but also demands standing - walking - bending - twisting and carrying light items.

Duties

• The Health Technician (Optometry) is a key member of the Eye Care treatment team and is responsible for assisting the Ophthalmology and Optometry staff/resident physicians in all aspects of patient care
• These duties include - but may not be limited to the following: Obtain a detailed history from each patient
• Review patient medical record for appropriateness of follow-up appointment
• Maintain supplies and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals needed in the exam room
• Demonstrate familiarity with routine clinic and departmental procedures and performs general clinic duties - including filing - answering phones - scheduling of appointments and patient check-in - check-out
• Perform fundus and slit lamp (external) photography
• Sets up and performs external ocular photography
• Perform visual field testing in the evaluation of patients with glaucoma - neurological disorders - retinal diseases and other ocular disorders
• Perform auto refraction and lensometer measurements
• Assist with reading patient's spectacle prescription with the lensometer
• Completes lensometry testing (a) to measure and record distance and near vision with and without glasses or contact lenses - and (b) to assess color vision
• Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
• Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to qualified candidates Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 21028F