Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This vacancy announcement is opened to US Citizens.

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The Optometry Health Technician is a key member of the Eye Care treatment team and is responsible for assisting the Ophthalmology and Optometry staff/resident physicians in all aspects of patient care.

Duties include, but may not be limited to:

• Obtains a detailed history from each patient
• Reviews patient medical record for appropriateness of follow-up appointment
• Maintains supplies and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals needed in the exam room
• Demonstrates familiarity with routine clinic and departmental procedures and performs general clinic duties, including filing, answering phones, scheduling of appointments and patient check-in, check-out
• Performs fundus and slit lamp (external) photography
• Sets up and performs external ocular photography
• Performs visual field testing in the evaluation of patients with glaucoma, neurological disorders, retinal diseases and other ocular disorders
• Performs auto refraction and lensometer measurements
• Assists with reading patient's spectacle prescription with the lensometer
• Completes lensometry testing (a) to measure and record distance and near vision with and without glasses or contact lenses, and (b) to assess color vision.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
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 examination.
• 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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience and Education.

• 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

• 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

• Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples are listed below:
  • 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.
  • 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.

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, Health Technician (Optometry), GS-07:

Experience.

One year of experience comparable to the next lower level (GS-06) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of experience at this level include, but are not limited to: operates and monitors commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures; understands basic hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of reusable medical equipment (RME) instruments and ophthalmic equipment; assists optometry staff by obtaining an accurate medical/ophthalmic history, as well as coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form; deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems and unfamiliar situations are referred to the supervisor for a decision or assistance; and procedures performed under supervision from senior optometry personnel. Additionally the knowledge, skills, and abilities at the GS-06 level are:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.
• Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms.

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:

• 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.
• 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.).
• Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near).
• Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures.
• Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.
• Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions.

Preferred Experience:

• Knowledge in working with legally blinded patients in Low Vision clinic, specialty visual acuity testing such as Low Vision History, ETDRS and Feinbloom (including knowledge of M notation)
• Training in use of Low Vision Devices, including hand magnifiers such as CCTV and testing patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

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-07.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 for additional information.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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.