Clarification from the agency

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

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The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

The Operations Officer, Surgery Service, serves as the operational leader responsible for designing, analyzing, and leading models that align patient demand, clinic capacity, and organizational priorities to improve access, efficiency, and system performance across the Surgical Service Line.

• Functions in triad partnership with the Chief of Surgery and Administrative Officer, serving as the operational authority for clinical systems design and operational optimization across Surgical Service.
• Leads system-level design and optimization of clinical operational systems across surgical specialties, in close administrative coordination with the Administrative Officer for alignment with fiscal, HR, procurement, and compliance processes without assuming administrative management authority.
• This role serves as the centralized authority for surgical service line operations, integrating system design and performance visibility across specialties to align patient demand, clinic capacity, and operational priorities while informing system-wide strategy and resource alignment.
• Operates at the service-level leadership scope to support surgical specialties.
• This position is structured as a hybrid clinical and operational leadership role with protected administrative time to support operational responsibilities.
  • 50% Operational Leadership (protected administrative time)
  • 50% Clinical Care (in specialty)
• Develops and drives clinical-operational models aligning patient demand, clinic capacity, and workforce utilization; accountable for system design, with implementation executed in coordination with the Administrative Officer and service leadership.
• Clinical Responsibilities: The Optometrist is responsible for seeing patients in the outpatient setting.
  • Performing comprehensive eye care, including but not limited to:
    - Refractions
    - Diagnoses, treatment, and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures, as well as diagnoses-related systemic conditions.
    - Diagnostic evaluations of visual disorders, including but not limited to diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and routine eye examinations.
    - Reads visual field tests, optical coherence tomography, corneal topography
    - Assists with teaching optometry and medical students who rotate to the VA Health Care System.
    - Provide patient and family education, including informed consent.
    - The incumbent is responsible for entering accurate, complete, timely progress notes for each episode of care into the patient's electronic record in Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
    - Proper use, maintenance, and calibration of specialized equipment used in the assessment and care of patients.
    - Maintains supplies, equipment and clinical areas to optimize safety and efficiency.
    - He/she demonstrates knowledge and maintains standards in the use and reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME).
• The Optometrist is to practice in accordance with VA guidelines; Nebraska Western Iowa HealthCare System policies/procedures; medical staff bylaws, rules and regulations; and in accordance with current Joint Commission standards.

Conditions of employment

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
• 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.
• 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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• 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.

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.

Optometrist Basic Requirements

Education. Degree of Doctor of Optometry resulting from a course of education in optometry. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools or colleges approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are United States and Canadian schools or colleges of optometry listed as accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed.

Licensure and Registration. Optometrists must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry, and maintain a current registration in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia that requires successful passage of all parts of National Board of Examiners in Optometry intended for basic licensure. The Optometrist must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

Residency Training or Comparable Experience. Optometrists must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of VA in an accredited post-graduate training program, or have comparable experience, as described below:
(1)Approved residencies are those with accredited or within pre-accredited status by the ACOE, in the list published for the year the residency was completed.
OR
(2)Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients.

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

Physical Requirements: You may be asked to participate in a pre-employment evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation.

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.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

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.