Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of Johnson City, Tennessee Healthcare System Only NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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• Provide education and training to manage complex eye and vision conditions. Requires extensive knowledge of chronic eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc, and will provide advanced patient education on managing conditions.
• Assists with advance triage of patients depending upon level of urgency or optometry needs. DMV forms, Lid lesion with w/u and consent, manage secure messages in a timely manner.
• Assist patients with eye anatomy and ocular symptoms and will determine the urgency of the patients need to be seen and how quickly in person and or over the phone.
• Ability to address and resolve patient complaints and/or concerns and addressing patient health technician(optometry) relationships
• Knowledge of complex, non-standard treatment and/or complex examinations and techniques.
• The incumbent determines what ancillary testing is needed before seeing the provider. Testing includes the following: Color vision Ishihara and D14 plates, Ophthalmic photography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), A-scans, B-scans, Humphrey Visual Field testing, Goldmann Visual fields, Corneal Topography, FDT, Slit Lamp Imaging, Goldmann Tonometry.
• Ability to perform testing using multiple handheld instruments, Pachymetry, Perkins Tonometry, Tonopen, Icare, and Auto Refractors.
• Accurately enter into a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e., eyeglasses prescription) or lensometer findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis.
• 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.
• Knowledge of ocular pharmacology and systemic medications with ocular side effects. The Incumbent is responsible for educating the patients on how to instill glaucoma eye gtts, lubricating gtts, steroid gtts, eye vitamins and ointments. Knowledge and ability to apply appropriate eye medications as directed and under guidelines specified and follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures. Knowledge of ocular side effects from systemic medications. Oversee clinic reusable medical equipment (RME) disinfection activities, including research, ordering and updating SOP's.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; 7:30am to 4:00pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
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.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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

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.

• 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).
• Experience and Education:
  • Basic Experience:One (1) year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field demonstrating the applicant's ability to perform the work or be demonstrating a basic understanding of work in the health care field.--OR--
  • Basic Education:Successful completion of two academic years above high school leading to an associate degree 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. Transcripts Required.--OR--
  • Basic Combination Education and Experience: Equivalent combinations of experience and educations 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 (1) year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health technician/assistant or health technician optometry/assistant related courses. --OR--
    • 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.

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).

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.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above the following is the amount of experience required to qualify for this position at the GS-8 grade level.

Experience.One year of experience comparable to the next lower level (GS-07) 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 provide patient education and training to manage complex eye and vision conditions.
(b) Knowledge of advanced triage of patients depending upon level of urgency or optometry needs.
(c) Knowledge of complex, non-standard treatment and/or complex examinations and techniques.
(d) Knowledge of ocular pharmacology and systemic medications with ocular side effects.

(3) Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must be of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the advanced level, the Health Technicians (Optometry) perform difficult and responsible ophthalmic technology duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment. The Health Technician (Optometry) perform duties such as advanced color vision testing, advanced perimetry including both automated and manual techniques, advanced ophthalmic imaging and diagnostic testing (e.g., anterior segment optical coherence tomography, advanced ultrasonography, confocal microscopy, electro-diagnostic testing, etc.), advanced patient education and training and vision rehabilitation services.

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-8.

Physical Requirements:The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients. The work requires above average agility and dexterity

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).

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.