Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Garner (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs operates this Ophthalmology Technician (Health Technician) role at the Garner Clinic, NC, supporting ophthalmologists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and follow-up care.

You will perform routine and complex diagnostic procedures and assist during clinic-based surgeries while educating patients and their representatives. Applicants may be referred if required certifications or education are pending, with final hire contingent on meeting all

Qualifications

• Certification as Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) with JCAHPO is required.
• Experience in health care field with knowledge of ophthalmology practices is valued.
• Demonstrated KSAs include eye anatomy, meds effects, optics, and clinic equipment maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Support Ophthalmologists in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of eye diseases.
• Assist during clinic-based ophthalmic surgical procedures.
• Educate patients and legal representatives about care plans.

Skills

Ophthalmology knowledge

Eye anatomy & physiology

Tonometry

Pupil evaluation

Ophthalmic surgical assisting

Education

Associate's degree or 2 years of health care college

Job description

This position is located at the VA Clinic in Garner, 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.

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

• 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).

Creditable Experience

• Knowledge of Current Health Technician (Ophthalmology) Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with a health care field or knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the current occupation. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment in the health care field.
• Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to Health Technician (Ophthalmology) experience at the GS-7 level.
• Part-time Experience. Part time experience as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) employed 20 hours per week, or on a ½ time basis,would receive one full-time work week credit for each two weeks of service.

Grandfathering Provision

• (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 eye6
• 6. Knowledge of optics; and7
• 7. Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment.

Preferred Experience

Healthcare

Reference

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

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.