Health technicians are optometric assistants that are responsible for assisting in outpatient clinical care. Individuals performing this job must show proficiency in the ancillary and specialty testing that is unique to optometric care. One must have skills in triaging patients, good phone etiquette and assist in administrative duties such as scheduling and checking in patients. Additionally, optometric health technicians must be able to fit, adjust, order and fabricate glasses.

Duties

Triage Triages patients by phone or in person. Schedules patients as appropriate. Answers questions about spectacle and contact lens prescriptions. Takes messages for staff doctors. Answers questions regarding clinic operations and services. Receives and distributes medical records. Protects patients' confidentiality according to HIPAA guidelines. Knows when to interrupt the optometrist during examination to convey timely information. Provides information to personnel regarding available optometric services. Interacts via telephone with optical laboratory personnel regarding optical orders. Directs telephone calls pertaining to other medical information to the appropriate department or physician as needed. Ancillary Testing Takes and records patient/family ocular and systemic medical history Measures habitual Rx with the manual or automated lensometer Measures distance and near visual acuity Measures intraocular pressure with the non-contact tonometer Measures objective refraction with the automated refractor Performs visual field testing as requested Performs corneal topography as requested Performs optical coherence tomography scans as requested Takes ocular fundus photos for medical documentation as requested Measures stereopsis /depth perception Performs color vision testing as indicated Documents test results on SF600 in patient's medical record and/or in electronic health record AHLTA/CPRS Instills diagnostic pharmaceutical agents as directed by the optometrist Performs other tasks as assigned by the staff optometrist Administrative Enters and retrieves data from all necessary electronic records systems: Federal Electronic Health Record. Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA), Composite Health Care System (CHCS), Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), Spectacle Request and Transmission System (SRTS), Defense Optical Fabrication Enterprise Management System (DOFEMS), and other systems as necessary. Inputs clinical schedule into electronic health record, checks-in patients into electronic health record and ensures joint registration/eligibility. Records each patient's screening tests into electronic health record encounter upon check-in. Scans or imports digital copies of supplemental test results into electronic health record encounters. Documents appointment cancellations and "no shows" on the daily appointment schedule and in the respective medical record. Identifies and resolves End-of-Day (EOD) discrepancies with respective provider. Ensures medications are disposed of as required by Joint Commission standards and ensures adequate supply remains on-hand for clinic use. Acts as liaison to request records and coordinate care for external units/clinics to include but not limited to -USS Tranquility, FHCC Ophthalmology, and Civilian Healthcare Clinics Enters and transmits spectacle orders via the Spectacle Request Transmission System (SRTS) or electronic health record and tracks order until received and delivered to patient. Tracks and completes consults from other clinics in electronic health record. Prepares for following day appointments by: readying appropriate exam forms; posting schedules in exam rooms and retrieving health records. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 6:30am - 3:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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 Education. (1) 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 (2) 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 (3) 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: 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: (a) 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. (b) 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.). (c) Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near). (d) Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures. (e) Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears. (f) 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). Preferred Experience: Experience in an eye care clinic preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005/142, Part II, Appendix G68 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: Work requires walking, standing, lifting, bending, and sitting. Work requires moving and transporting light items (such as supplies, charts, and equipment) on a regular and reoccurring basis.

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 Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center 3001 Green Bay Road North Chicago, IL 60064 US
• Name: Ralph Abueg
• Phone: 858 552 8585 X72611
• Email: [email protected]