The Long Beach VA Medical Center is hiring 1 Health Technician (Optometry) to work in Primary Care Services. Optometry Techs in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Optometrists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention & follow-up care. The Health Tech (Optometry) triages patient phone calls; ensures exam rooms are stocked; instructs patients on administration of eye drops; administers eye drops to dilate pupils; performs color vision screening; performs visual field testing.

Duties

Major Duties but are not limited to: Triages patient phone calls or requests; Ensures exam rooms are stocked with adequate supplies and follows the proper procurement procedures to maintain proper supply levels. Instructs patients on administration of eye drops. Obtains ophthalmic history to include chief complaint and past ophthalmic/medical history, history of any allergies and/or present medications Obtains visual acuity using Snellen acuity chart (or equivalent) vi. Administers eye drops to dilate pupils; Performs basic color vision screening; Performs basic visual field testing (using automated equipment); Performs basic imaging testing such as corneal topography; retinal scans, external/internal photography; Performs basic ocular testing such as pachymetry, stereo acuity, measuring spectacles using both automated and manual lensometry and transposing cylinders; Fit/measure, dispense, adjust, repair spectacles to ensure proper fit. Processes eyeglass orders to the fabrication laboratory and maintain administrative records for all eyeglass orders; Performs contact lens training and education for hard and soft contacts; Adept at applying sterile technique and infection control procedures; Performs minor maintenance of ophthalmic instruments and equipment such as visual field projectors, muscle lights, direct and indirect ophthalmoscopes, retinoscopes, lensometers, tangent screens, perimeters, slit lamps, keratometers, pupillometers etc. Provides other support to the optometry clinic by ensuring an orderly flow of patients including, but not limited to: knowledge and understanding the eligibility and entitlement for prosthetic appliances, scheduling of patients into different clinics within Optometry and answering patient inquiries in person and on the telephone; Ensures all pertinent clinical documents are entered in the patients electronic file including, but not limited to: tangent visual fields, outside eye exam records, neglect testing, and DMV forms; Assists the optometrists and contributes to the education of optometric interns and residents. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Functional Statement #: 000000 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Education or Experience: Experience: One year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field such as but not limited to nursing, medical assistant, or health technician. 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. Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education as described above. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 38 U.S.C. 7407(d). 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 Determinations: Health Technician (Optometry), GS-07 GS-7 Experience: Candidates must have 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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. 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. 2. 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.). 3. Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near). 4. Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures. 5. Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears. 6. Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions. Assignment. Employees 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 G68 - Health Technician (Optometry) Qualification Standards. Physical Requirements: The work generally requires nominal walking or standing for short periods of time or carrying of light loads of papers, books, reports, computers, monitors, and may require some physical ability (may have to lift 45 pounds) and physical stress.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Long Beach VA Medical Center 5901 East Seventh Street Long Beach, CA 90822 US
• Name: Keri Shoemaker
• Phone: (562) 826-8000 X16994
• Email: [email protected]