Health Technician (Optometry)

Summary

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2024. The first cut-off dates for referral of eligible applications will be 03/29/2024. All eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred to the hiring manager no later than 04/01/2024. Eligible applications received after 03/29/2024 date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

03/20/2024 to 09/30/2024

• Salary

$49,025 - $63,733 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 7

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Locations

3 vacancies in the following locations:

• Tuskegee, AL

• Columbus, GA

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

25% or less

• You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -

• Work schedule

Full-time -

• 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

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CBTB-12352979-24-SSH

• Control number

782459000

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This job is open to

• Federal employees

• Competitive service

Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Federal employees

• Excepted service

Current excepted service federal employees.

• The public

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

Clarification from the agency

Open to All US Citizens and Permanent Federal Employees.

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Duties

The Health Technician (Optometry) provides care in the Optometry Clinic located at the Central Alabama Health Care System, and is assigned to the Acute Care and Specialties Service Line at any of the Optometry Clinic locations. The primary purpose of the position is to provide outpatient Optometry services for Veteran patients in the Acute Care and Specialty clinical service.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Obtain, document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note.

• Practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting.

• Follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures.

• Provide patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions.

• Accurately enter into phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription or lensometer findings.

• Perform patient spectacle fitting and dispensing as well as ability to transpose sphere, cylinder, and axis.

• Provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.

• Maintain ophthalmic supplies and medications in the eye clinic.

• Determine preliminary objective estimate and/or refinement f the optical status of the eye, not to include the patient's final subjective refraction.

• Triage and manage eyeglass issues.

• Perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near).

• Assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures.

• Assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.

• Provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions.

• Measures and records visual acuity (with use of pinhole testing as indicated), including any specialized visual acuity measurements.

• Evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size, determine the presence or absence of gross binocular vision.

• Performs Amsler grid testing, administer eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist), perform basic tonometry and estimate the anterior chamber depth with a penlight or slit lamp biomicroscope.

• Properly reads a basic spectacle prescription using an automated or manual lensometer, obtaining accurate autorefractometry and keratometry measurements, performing confrontation and standard automated visual field testing and administering and scoring basic color vision tests.

• Measures and records corneal thickness by pachymetry as well as performance of advanced corneal measurements, exophthalmometry, tear testing and ocular imaging.

• Follow VA directives and polices and maintains a current BLS certification.

• Possess computer skills to access and input typed data on each patient into the computerized patient record system (CPRS).

• Attend mandatory trainings, such as, VA Voices, Own the Moment, comply with requirements in the specialty of Optometry, and must complete the required Talent Management System (TMS) courses timely.

• Must be aware and compliant of VA SAIL metrics and VA Performance Measures.

• Other duties may be assigned as needed by the Chief of Optometry, Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Acute Care & Specialties and/or Chief of Staff.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Subject to change based on agency needs.

Compressed/Flexible:

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 50720

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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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.

• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.

• 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.

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

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.

Grade Determinations: 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.

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. The technicians also evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size, determine the presence or absence of fusion and perform stereoacuity measurements. The health technicians (optometry) perform Amsler grid testing, administer eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist), perform basic tonometry (e.g., non-contact, Goldmann, Tono-Pen) and estimate the anterior chamber depth with a penlight or slit lamp biomicroscope. The technicians are skilled in properly reading a basic spectacle prescription using an automated or manual lensometer, obtaining accurate autorefractometry and keratometry measurements, performing confrontation and standard automated visual field testing and administering and scoring basic color vision tests (e.g., pseudoischromatic plates, Farnsworth D-15). The technicians are also adept at measuring and recording corneal thickness by pachymetry as well as performance of advanced corneal measurements, exophthalmometry, tear testing and ocular imaging (e.g., stereo fundus, basic slit lamp biomicroscopy, intraocular lens master measurements, ocular ultrasonography, posterior segment optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence and/or ocular angiography).

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix 68

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7.

Physical Requirements: The position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring Veterans and objects may be required. May be required to don protective equipment in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. Responsible for the reprocessing of reusable medical equipment, according to the medical center policies. Required to use available safe patient handling lifting devices in all clinical areas. May also be exposed to Veterans who are combative, secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders.

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.

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.