Optometry Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Optometrists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counseling and higher-level administrative duties of significant scope.

Duties

Major duties include but not limited to: Travel on as needed basis to other Optometry Clinics under Cleveland VA Assist with patient movement throughout the eye clinic. Ensures proper cleaning and disinfection of examination rooms and stocks each room with the required supplies. Exercises basic hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection of reusable medical equipment instruments and ophthalmic equipment. Communicates with scheduling staff to facilitate patient scheduling and instructions from staff optometrists for triaging eye care and arranging follow-up eye care. Obtain, document, and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients 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, to include assisting with patient contact lens insertion, removal, and hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) care. Provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions. Enter eyeglasses prescription or lensometer findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis. Determine preliminary objective estimate and/or refinement of the optical status of the eye, not to include the patient's final subjective refraction. Perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near). 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. Provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests. Manage the restocking the eye clinic exam rooms of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed. Triage and manage eyeglasses issues (e.g., measurement of vertex distance, base curve, prism correction, center thickness, slab off, Fresnel prism, decentration, etc.). Conduct complex, non-standard treatment and/or complex examination techniques. Empart knowledge of ocular pharmacology and systemic medications with ocular side effects. Assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures. Assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears. Provide patient education and training to manage complex eye and vision conditions. Assign, coordinate and oversee health technician (optometry) daily duties, tasks and other responsibilities as appropriate. Provide and/or monitor staff education and training activities, including interdisciplinary training as necessary. Manage and oversee eye clinic RME disinfection activities that include researching manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection recommendations, ordering appropriate RME related supplies, as well as ensuring health technician (optometry) clinic staff RME competency. Address and resolve patient complaints and/or concerns and addressing patient health technician (optometry) relationships. Develop and train health technicians (optometry) to ensure competency in performance of eye and vision care duties, activities and tasks. Perform the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, competency assessments, and performance evaluations, selection of staff and recommendation of awards, advancements and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. Analyze clinically appropriate data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance and productivity within the eye clinic. Possess advanced understanding of interdisciplinary issues and organizational structure to serve as liaison between optometry and other programs that would affect coordination of care, healthcare access, program evaluation, as well as assessment and planning for future need. Demonstrate leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution, to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Variable based on needs of the service) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: 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. (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. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None. Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Health Technicians (Optometry) who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. English Language Proficiency. Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Supervisory Health Technician (Optometry), GS-09 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 (KSA). In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, competency assessments, performance evaluations, selection of staff and recommendation of awards, advancements and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. (b) Ability to analyze clinically appropriate data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance and productivity within the eye clinic. (c) Advanced understanding of interdisciplinary issues and organizational structure to serve as liaison between optometry and other programs that would affect coordination of care, healthcare access, program evaluation, as well as assessment and planning for future need. (d) Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution, to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. References: VA Handbook 5005 /142, Part II, Appendix G68 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-09. Physical Requirements: The Incumbent must have dexterity & agility to handle fragile eyeglasses & contact lenses as well as microscopic instruments. The work is at times sedentary; and ambulation between various examination/treatment rooms is also required. The work requires some physical exertion such as lifting and assisting wheelchair patients into examination chairs or chairs positioned in front of the ophthalmic imaging equipment. It is also required that the technician be able to operate equipment with one hand while holding the patients' eyelids open with the other. The incumbent will also frequently spend extended periods standing and bending over in the Eye Clinic. The work area is pleasant but at times noisy due to the volume of waiting patients or ophthalmic instrument noises. Occasionally, it is necessary to deal with disruptive patients. Risk normally associated with an Eye Clinic/hospital/direct patient care are present. The primary working environment is the Eye Clinic. Within that environment, the technician will be working with patients who have serious and communicable diseases such as AIDS, TB, Hepatitis C, and herpetic lesions. The position will require adherence and practice of hospital infection control protocols with special knowledge about the seriousness and transmission of these and other diseases. During these encounters the employee must take safety precautions, such as gloving and masking, in dealing with these patients.

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 VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 US
• Name: Robert Gallimore
• Phone: (910) 494-1305
• Email: [email protected]