The Health Technician is assigned to a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) as part of the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The CBOCs are aligned under the Primary Care Service Line and assist in providing outpatient medical care to Veterans in rural areas. Ophthalmology Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Ophthalmologists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counseling.

Duties

Kansas City VA Medical Center s committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. Ophthalmology Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) perform functions such as technical clinical care to patients who have received care provided by Ophthalmologists for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counseling.

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. English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph3j, and Appendix G52. Experience: One year of experience in a health care field, such as but not limited to nursing, medical assistant, or health technician; OR Education: Two years above high school with a minimum of six semester hours directly related to a health care field or associate's degree in a health care related degree; OR Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field; and one year above high school; or (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or ophthalmology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces; or (c) Six months of experience in the health care field and completion of an independent study course in Ophthalmic Medical Assisting. Certification: All applicants must be certified as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) with the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). The COA certification is JCAHPO's entry-level certification examination for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology). (1) Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the minimum qualification requirements may be appointed as a graduate Health Technician (Ophthalmology) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of certification for a period not to exceed two years for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) that provides care under the supervision of an Ophthalmologist. The exception only applies below the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level the candidate must be certified. Failure to obtain COA certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment and may result in termination of employment. (2) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) must actively pursue meeting certification requirements starting from the date of appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the uncertified Health Technician (Ophthalmology) with the written requirement to obtain certification, the date by which the certification must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified within two years from date of appointment will result in removal from the Health Technician (Ophthalmology), GS-0640 series and may result in termination of employment. 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: GS-05 (Entry Level): None beyond the basic requirements listed above. GS-06 (developmental level 1): One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. AND In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Knowledge of general outpatient clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment. Ability to obtain, document and record demographic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate medical record. Ability to use basic ophthalmic equipment. Knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical reusable medical equipment. GS-07 (developmental level 2): One year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level. AND In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Knowledge of anatomy and function of the eye and basic ocular pharmacology. Knowledge of outpatient eye care policies and procedures in a health care environment. Ability to use basic ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to perform preliminary ocular testing. Ability to perform minor extraocular surgical assisting. Ability to provide eye care patient education. GS-08 (full performance level): Certification is required at this level. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level. AND In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Ability to perform advanced tonometry and pupil evaluation. Ability to perform calculations for selection of intraocular lens. Knowledge of clinic based ophthalmic surgical assisting. Knowledge of eye anatomy and physiology. Knowledge of medication effects and proper instillation in the eye. Knowledge of optics. Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment. Preferred Experience: COA certification preferred, must be obtained within 2 years of start date. References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G52 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-08. Physical Requirements: The work requires considerable lengths of standing, walking, and sitting with occasional bending. Some assisting with patients and patient lifting is also required. Manual dexterity, good vision and depth perception are necessary. Flexibility is essential in the operation of several different devices requires the technician to sit opposite the patient and use one hand to support the eyelids in the static position while the body, head and other hand of the technician must be able to rapidly shift positions. Many duties are performed in dark and sometimes small rooms where ventilation can be limited where the technician's eye is employed in this arrangement and the combination of static position and adjusting movements can be stressful and tiring. The technician must be able to communicate with hearing impaired patients where speaking in a loud voice or using hearing assisted devices may be necessary.

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 Kansas City VA Medical Center 4801 Linwood Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64128 US
• Name: Amber Frazier
• Phone: 803-869-9197
• Email: [email protected]