Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

Duties include, but are not limited to:

The Supervisory Health Technician (Ophthalmology) is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, direction of ophthalmology staff, and supervises interactions of Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) with affiliate ophthalmology residents. May be delegated full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the ophthalmology staff activities for the service or equivalent unit at an independent outpatient clinic.

Administrative components:

• Preparing work assignments,
• Monitoring clinical performances of ophthalmology staff, volunteers, and/or students,
• Conducting performance appraisals, and other clinical and administrative responsibilities to ensure that the mission of the service and the medical center has been satisfied.
• Assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements, and the quality management program, assuring corrective action is initiated as needed.
• Assures orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff.
• Develops policies and procedures;
• Manages document control;
• Develops performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements;
• Assumes responsibility for professional and administrative management of an assigned area to include budget execution.
• Maintains interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals.
• May have overall responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs to ensure proper coordination between care delivered by the program and overall delivery of healthcare within the facility, or coordination of non-VA care as appropriate.

Technical Clinical Skills:

• Kinetic visual field testing (Goldmann);
• Intraocular pressure measurements by applanation tonometry and other current methods;
• Pupil evaluation recording pupil size, shape, symmetry, reaction to light and accommodation, and any abnormalities, including relative afferent pupillary defect;
• Basic slit lamp biomicroscopy evaluation to check for abnormalities prior to dilation (i.e.: anterior chamber depth/iris anomalies).
• May perform advanced color vision testing of the entire visual spectrum to detect complex color vision defects such as monochromats, dichromats and anomalous trichromats.
• Measures eyeglass prescriptions using manual lensometer, recording sphere, cylinder, axis and prism in both plus and minus cylinder.
• Performs A-scan ultrasonography, including intra-ocular lens calculations, using immersion A-scan on eyes with complex pathology such as corneal scarring, irregular and/or high astigmatism, zonular weakness, high refractive error that requires multiple alternative calculating formulas.
• Performs B-scan ultrasonography to identify intraocular masses or abnormalities.
• Determines the corneal curvature by either manual keratometry or automated topography.
• Performs fluorescein or indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, with diagnostic photography of retinal vessels.
• Performs slit lamp photography.
• May perform anterior segment OCT, confocal microscopy, electroretinography, electrooculography, and visual evoked potential.
• Assists in minor clinical surgical procedures, including laser surgery and intravitreal injections.
• May assist as scrub technician in main OR surgical procedures, set up of sterile fields, operation and maintenance of phacoemulsification and vitrectomy units, cryosurgery, endolaser units, all of which require a thorough understanding of complex instrumentation and the ability to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently during surgical procedures and care of instruments.
• Assists with the microbiology testing of patients with sight-threatening ocular infections, preparing instrumentation and media for intraocular biopsy and/or culture.
• Performs thorough preparatory cleaning of critical reusable medical equipment used in surgical procedures.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• Experience and Education:
  • (1) Experience. One year of experience in a health care field, such as but not limited to nursing,medical assistant, or health technician.OR
  • (2) Education. Two years above high school with a minimum of six semester hours directly relatedto a health care field or associate's degree in a health care related degree.OR
  • (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education arequalifying. Examples are listed below:(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 healthcare technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or ophthalmology technicians given bythe U.S. Armed Forces; or(c) Six months of experience in the health care field and completion of an independent study coursein 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).

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: Supervisory Health Technician (Ophthalmology), GS-10
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to meeting the all KSAs for the GS-10 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSA designated by an asterisk (*).

• 1. Ability to work independently to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service;
• 2. Ability to develop policy, manage equipment requests, and provide workload analysis in Ophthalmology Service;
• 3. Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team members, managers and other departments; and
• *4. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which includes 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-10.

Physical Requirements: The Health Technician (Ophthalmology) needs to be mobile in that the job requires: sitting, walking, standing, and bending. Work requires trips often from employee's work-site to other areas throughout the Medical Center. The Health Technician will be performing eye screening examinations utilizing specialized equipment. The Health Technician must be able to record the findings in the computerized records system and be able to communicate with patients and other staff on a continual basis.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.