The Health Technician (Optician) uses optician instruments and equipment to assist Veteran patients with their corrective eye vision needs at the Western New York Healthcare System at Buffalo and Batavia.

Duties

Clinical Duties Gathers information from the patient for frame and lens selection based on their prescription. Assists patients in the selection of frames, coordinating with the optical prescription. Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with patient's vocational and avocational visual requirements. Adjusts frame and lens position to fit patient upon exam. Completes necessary measurements for accurate ordering of eyeglasses, i.e., eyeglasses patients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices. Design, fit and adapt lenses for patients according to written optical prescription. Performs necessary testing using various optician instrumentation and equipment, such as, but not limited to, a lensometer. Completes appropriate order to Prosthetic Service for optical laboratory for eyeglasses and continually interfaces and communicates with Prosthetic Service and lab staff. Checks frames and lenses received from manufacturer for optical centering, axis, surface quality for pits and scratches, under or over polishing, impact resistant strain pattern, size and distance between lenses, temple length, frame color, segment inset and height in the event of multifocal prescriptions and matching of color in the cases of tinted lenses. Determine problems and take corrective measures to the satisfaction of the patient, as appropriate. This includes assisting patient walk-ins that may be experiencing difficulties with their glasses as well, on demand, including repairs. Provides and develops patient teaching/instruction on the proper care, usage and maintenance of their eyeglasses, as well as how to adapt to the changes they may experience with their new eyeglasses including contact information for the optician to address any concerns or issues they are experiencing. Performs refractometry under the supervision of the ophthalmologist or optometrist.\ Administrative Duties Manages and monitors eyeglass mailings to ensure timeliness of delivery to patients. He/she maintains an electronic tracking and credit system on all incoming and outgoing eyeglasses for quality control. Coordinates and collaborates with eye clinic staff, fee consultants, and/or contractors regarding coverage contingency plans. The Technician resolves problems regarding waits and delays specific to eye glass ordering, fitting and/or dispensing. Reviews clinic performance information related to access, wait times, and missed opportunities. He/she works with Clinic Manager in the development of process improvement opportunities and plans as necessary. Documents and codes via the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) and uses manual entry, dictation, voice recognition software, and/or scanning. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Optician)/PD09276A Physical Requirements: The work is mainly sedentary. However, there will be some walking, standing, bending, carrying and lifting of light items such as packages and books, generally of not more than 25 pounds.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service). Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Specific qualifying specialized experience for this position (which should be documented on your resume) is providing direct patient care in an eye clinic (or similar environment) performing the following duties: obtaining patient medical history; preparing patients for eye examinations; documenting patient medical records; scheduling appointments; performing adjustments, fits, and repairs to eyeglass frames; and maintaining inventory for an eye clinic. Licensing: Must be New York State licensed Optician. 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.

Education

There is no educational substitution.

Contacts

• Address VA Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Sarah Cassidy
• Email: [email protected]