HEALTH TECHNICIAN (OPHTHALMOLO

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Parental leave

Federal employee benefits

Job summary

Durham VAMC in North Carolina seeks an Ophthalmology Technician to support ophthalmologists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and follow-up care.

The incumbent will perform complex diagnostic procedures, assist in clinic-based surgeries, educate patients and learners, and participate in ophthalmic measurements and imaging.

Qualifications

• One year of experience in a health care field (nursing, medical assistant, or health technician)
• Two years above high school with at least six semester hours in a health care field or an associate's degree in a health care related degree
• Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying (examples provided)
• Certification: COA with JCAHPO is required for this position
• Grandfathering provisions apply for employees already in VHA Health Technician ophthalmology roles
• Foreign education must be evaluated for creditability
• Grade determinations: GS-8 level; one year of experience at GS-7 or equivalent is required
• KSAs include advanced tonometry, lens calculations, clinic-based ophthalmic surgery knowledge, eye anatomy/physiology, medication effects, optics, and equipment maintenance

Responsibilities

• Checks and calibrates ophthalmology screening instruments
• Obtains patient history including chief complaint and ocular/general history
• Tests visual acuity with/without corrections or pinhole
• Performs tonometry using Goldmann or equivalent methods
• Performs pupil evaluation and swinging flashlight test
• Performs refractometry with auto refractor or habitual prescription
• Instills eye medications including anesthetic and dilating drops
• Measures intraocular pressure and corneal thickness
• Calculates IOL power using IOL Master or equivalent
• Performs OCT, fundus photography, and visual field testing
• Assists during clinic-based ophthalmic surgery and wound care
• Educates patients and representatives on pre/postoperative care
• Educates medical students and residents in affiliated facilities
• Fulfills other assigned duties

Skills

Advanced tonometry

Pupil evaluation

Ophthalmic surgery assistance

Eye anatomy knowledge

Medical terminology

Education

Associate's degree in health care

Two years above high school in health care field

HEALTH CARE Technician education course or equivalent

COA Certification

Job description

Summary

This position is located at the Durham VAMC - NC. Ophthalmology Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Ophthalmologists in diagnosis - treatment - prevention - follow-up care and patient counseling. The Full Performance Health Technician (Ophthalmology) performs a range of standard - but complex - diagnostic procedures - assists during clinic-based surgical procedures - educates patients and legal representatives - assists with the education of medical students and residents.

Qualifications

• 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
• English Language Proficiency: Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 38 U.S.C. 7407(d)
• 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 related to 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 are qualifying
• 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 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)
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including certification requirements
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance(journeyman) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• (2) Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) who were 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) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation - who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification that meet all the basic requirements of the qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• (4) Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) 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 reentry to the occupation
• Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Ophthalmology) - GS-8 (Full Performance Level) Experience: Must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSA): In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1
• Ability to perform advanced tonometry and pupil evaluation
• 2
• Ability to perform calculations for selection of intraocular lens
• 3
• Knowledge of clinic based ophthalmic surgical assisting
• 4
• Knowledge of eye anatomy and physiology
• 5
• Knowledge of medication effects and proper instillation in the eye
• 6
• Knowledge of optics
• and 7
• Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment
• 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-08
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - adequate auditory perception - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially extended periods of computer use - virtual care equipment use - sitting and/or standing
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are verbally combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Must meet Employee Health mandates as a condition of employment.

Duties

• Duties Include but are not limited to: Checks and performs calibration of technical ophthalmology screening instruments
• Obtains patient physical history - to include chief complaint
• reason for visit
• pertinent signs and symptoms
• current medication allergies
• past ocular and general medical history both ocular and general
• family history both ocular and general
• social history
• and review of medications and allergies - including current ocular prescription and non prescription medications
• Accurately tests visual acuity at distance and near - with and without correction or with and without a pinhole
• Measures eyeglass prescription using manual or automated lensometer - recording sphere - cylinder - axis - and prism in both plus and minus cylinder
• Performs pupil evaluation recording pupil size - shape - symmetry - reaction to light and accommodation
• Performs swinging flashlight test to detect a relative afferent pupillary defect
• Performs basic refractometry utilizing an auto refraction or habitual glass prescription in the phoropter
• Instills eye medications (drops or ointments - including anesthetic - dye - dilating drops - cycloplegic drops - or antibiotics)
• Measures intraocular pressure with standard techniques - including Goldmann applanation tonometry
• Performs pachymetry to determine corneal thickness and manual keratometry or automated topography to determine corneal curvature
• Performs intra-ocular lens calculations using an IOL Master or equivalent device
• Performs automated visual field testing using various perimetry machines
• Performs external photographs and fundus photography
• Performs optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the anterior segment - retina and optic nerve
• Performs patient screening and triage of potentially urgent ocular conditions
• Assists during clinic-based ophthalmic surgery - including revision of wounds - biopsies of the eyelid lesions - cultures of conjunctiva - or cornea
• reformation of anterior chamber - evacuation of hyphema - repositioning of corneal endothelial grafts - intra vitreous injections - and laser surgical procedures
• Educates patients and legal authorized representatives in eye care - including preoperative and postoperative instructions
• Assists in the education and training of medical students - residents and fellows in those facilities with medical school affiliations
• All other assigned duties
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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: This is not a virtual position
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000.