Summary

Optometry Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) perform technical clinical care to aid in the diagnosis - treatment - follow-up and counseling of patients who have received care provided by Optometrists or Ophthalmologists. The Optometry Technician performs screening procedures such as patient history - visual acuity - pupil responses - confrontation visual fields - and extraocular motility.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Experience and/or 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
• 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)
• 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).Grandfathering Provision
• All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: They may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• Health Technicians (Optometry) who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation
• Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-04 Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements listed in the basic requirements section
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-05 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function
• Ability to obtain - document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note
• Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting
• Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures
• Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs - such as replacing nose pads and screws
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-06 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-07 Experience
• One year of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled
• AND 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
• References: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7. Preferred Experience: Previous optical and/or eye technician experience
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of the evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf 1
• Knowledge of basic eye anatomy - function - and ocular diseases
• 2
• Ability to obtain - document - and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients to develop an accurate electronic progress note
• 3
• Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting
• 4
• Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures
• 5
• Ability to perform minor eyeglass repairs - such as replacing nose pads and screws
• 6
• Knowledge of ocular physiology - pathology associated with diabetes and/or aging - and basic ocular pharmacology
• 7
• Ability to provide patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions - to include assisting with patient contact lens insertion - removal - and hygiene care
• 8
• Ability to accurately enter a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription or lensometer findings including sphere - cylinder - and axis
• 9
• Ability to perform patient spectacle fitting and dispensing - including selection of appropriate frame - ophthalmic lenses - interpupillary measurements and proper segment height determination - as well as the ability to transpose sphere - cylinder - and axis
• 10
• Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests
• 11
• Ability to review Optometry and Ophthalmology consults timely and appropriately
• 12
• Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms
• 13
• 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
• 14
• Ability to triage and manage eyeglasses issues 15
• Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation - near point of convergence and ocular alignment 16
• Ability to assist the eye care provider with procedures - including lasers - and perform time outs within the eye clinic
• 17
• Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures or smears
• 18
• Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision concerns
• 19
• Operates - calibrates - and monitors commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures
• 20
• Understands basic hygiene - cleaning - and disinfection of reusable medical equipment instruments and ophthalmic equipment
• 21
• Obtains and documents accurate medical/ophthalmic history including: chief complaint - reason for visit - pertinent signs/symptoms - past ocular and general history - review of medications and allergies including current ocular prescription and non-prescription medications
• 22
• Coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form
• 23
• Measuring and recording visual acuity with and without correction 24
• Obtaining accurate potential acuity meter - laser interferometry - contrast sensitivity - or other specialized visual acuity measurements
• 25
• Evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil sizes - recording pupil size - shape - symmetry - reaction to light and accommodation - and any abnormalities including relative afferent pupillary defect
• Work Schedule: 07:30am - 4:00pm - Monday through Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized 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
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized