OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans? This position is being filled at grades 4-7. GS-4= $36,209-$42,691 GS-5= $39,576-$51,446 GS-6=$44,117-$57,354 GS-7= $49,025-$63,733

Duties

Optometry Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration(VHA)support Optometrists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counseling. Optometry Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Optometrists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counseling. The Full Performance Health Technician (Optometry) performs a range of standard, but complex, diagnostic procedures, assists during clinic-based surgical procedures, educates patients and legal representatives, assists with the education of medical students and residents. The Full Performance Health Technician (Optometry) may perform many "direct patient care services" under the supervision of Optometrists. Interviews and screens patients (to include chief complaint and history of present illness, pain status, past ophthalmic and medical history including allergies/medications) prior to being seen by an Ophthalmologist or Optometrist. Obtains visual acuity using Snellen acuity chart (with and without glasses). Assesses for anterior chamber depth, color vision, confrontation fields, pupil size, pupil reaction to light, and afferent papillary defect. Obtains refraction using automated refraction equipment along with manual refraction Obtains manifest refraction Instills diagnostic eye drops as ordered Performs visual field testing in accordance with Optometrist/Ophthalmologist orders Teaches new patients how to care for and wear contact lens. Performs user-level maintenance by the manufacturers of complex ophthalmic instruments and equipment, such as visual acuity projectors, muscle lights, direct and indirect ophthalmoscopes, retinoscopes, lensometers, slit lamps and keratometers. Inventories, replaces and orders equipment and ophthalmic supplies for the clinic. Cleans and supplies examining rooms used in patient care. Assists MSA with patient appointments, inquiries, and records on a back-up or as needed basis. Obtains readings from IOL master, pachymeter, keratometer, topographer, as ordered by physician. Collects appropriate patient demographics and pertinent historical information to populate the imager template. Photographs the anterior and posterior retina Serves as a liaison between image readers, primary care providers, eye care providers, patients and other VA personnel. Must be alert to patient's physical/mental needs, e.g., low blood sugar or stress of significant systemic/ocular disease and take appropriate action. Assumes continuing responsibility for the safe collection, set up, use, pre-cleaning, and transportation for all reusable medical equipment (RME) utilized in patient care in accordance with all applicable VHA Directives, local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and manufacturer's instructions. This equipment is categorized as critical items, semi-critical items, or non-critical items according to the degree of risk for infection transmission associated with its use. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, normal business hours Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Health Technician (Optometry), GS-04 Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Health Technician (Optometry), GS-05 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-4. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function. (b) Ability to obtain, document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note. (c) Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting. (d) Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures. (e) Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs, such as replacing nose pads and screws. Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 1health technicians (optometry). It is expected they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for patient issues and require daily and direct contact with senior optometry personnel at the work site. Health Technician (Optometry), GS-06 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-5. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to 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. (b) Ability to accurately enter into a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e., eyeglasses prescription) or lensometer findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis. (c)Ability to 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. (d) Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests. (e) Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms. Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 2 health technicians (optometry). The technicians operate and monitor commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures. At this level, the technicians assist optometry staff by obtaining an accurate medical/ophthalmic history, as well as coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form. Health Technician (Optometry), GS-07 Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level (GS-6) 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/142 Part II Appendix G68 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7. Physical Demands The work requires walking, standing, sitting, bending, and helping patients into and out of the examination chairs. Working Conditions The work is performed in an clinical setting with adequate lighting and other facilities with no unusual health hazards. The incumbent observes normal safety precautions.

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/.

Contacts

• Address Clement J Zablocki Veterans Administration Medical Center 5000 West National Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53295 US
• Name: Lesley Hynes
• Phone: 414-712-8259
• Email: [email protected]