Health Technician (Optometry)

Summary

This Health Technician (Optometry) position is in the Surgical Care services at the Togus VA Medical Center providing care at the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located at the Bangor, Maine or Lewiston/Portland, Maine locations. This position is intermittent at part-time hours per week.

Note: The incumbent selected for Lewiston, Maine location will be required to travel to provide care and coverage at both the Lewiston CBOC and Portland CBOC.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

05/13/2024 to 08/13/2024

• Salary

$35,373 - $63,733 per year

This salary amount will be prorated based on the number of hours worked.

• Pay scale & grade

GS 4 - 7

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Locations

2 vacancies in the following locations:

• Bangor, ME

• Lewiston, ME

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

50% or less

• You may be expected to travel for this position. The incumbent selected for the Lewiston CBOC will be required to travel to the Portland CBOC to provide care/coverage.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Intermittent

• Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

7

• Job family (Series)

0640 Health Aid And Technician

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Not Required

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CBTD-12408917-24-JES

• Control number

790878100

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This job is open to

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

The public and other federal agencies.

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Duties

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Consistently responds to patients, families, and co-worker's requests for assistance promptly and in a friendly and cooperative manner.

• Routinely identifies the customer's situation properly and performs tasks required to resolve customer's problem accurately and in a timely manner.

• Listens to all customer feedback, positive and negative, acts to resolve complaints within his/her control and reports feedback to the supervisor in a timely manner.

• Consistently provides written and oral communication that is thorough and correct, using clear precise communication methods to ensure that customers understand.

• Routinely interacts in a professional and courteous manner with contacts made during the course of conducting business.

• Assesses their own reaction to the patients and significant others and recognizes own limitations in coping with stressful situations, seeking help from the supervisor as appropriate.

• Applies therapeutic communication techniques when interacting with demanding or distressed patients; Demonstrates professionalism at all times, modeling the tenants of I-CARE.

Work Schedule: Intermittent, Days TBD, Schedule 7:30 am

• 4:00 pm

Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: FS03147 at GS-04, FS03148 at GS-05, FS03149 at GS-06, FS03021 at GS-07

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Notifications:

This position is in the Excepted Service.

This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.

This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.

The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.

Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

THIS OPEN & CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT (OCA) ESTABLISHES A STANDING REGISTER OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, which closes on (08/08/2024). The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be (05/22/2024) with subsequent reviews every other week as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled. Please see the "What To Expect Next" area of the announcement which provides additional information on the referral process for this type of announcement.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• Subject to background/security investigation.

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.

• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English.

• 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:

• (a) 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.

• (b) 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.

Grade Determinations:

GS-04:

Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve in a health technician (optometry) entry level position. More experienced staff members guide and provide daily direct supervision for the health technicians (optometry).

GS-05:

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-04.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). 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.

Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 1 health technicians (optometry). It is expected they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for patient issues and require daily and direct contact with senior optometry personnel at the work site.

GS-06:

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-05.

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.

Assignment: Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 2 health technicians (optometry). The technicians operate and monitor commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures. The health technicians (optometry) understand basic hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of reusable medical equipment (RME) instruments and ophthalmic equipment. At this level, the technicians assist optometry staff by obtaining an accurate medical/ophthalmic history, as well as coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form. Deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems and unfamiliar situations are referred to the supervisor for a decision or assistance. Assignments at this level involve procedures performed under supervision from senior optometry personnel.

GS-07:

Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level GS-06.

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.

Assignment. Employee at this grade level serves as a full performance level health technician (optometry). The technicians perform duties such as measuring and recording visual acuity (with use of pinhole testing as indicated), obtaining accurate potential acuity meter, laser interferometry, contrast sensitivity or other specialized visual acuity measurements.

Preferred Experience: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G68

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-07.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration

• Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred based on Veterans' Preference.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.