Health Technician (Optometry)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Jacksonville VA Clinic seeks a Health Technician (Optometry) to support optometrists with diagnostic and therapeutic tasks, triage patient calls, stock exam rooms, and educate patients on eye care.

The role covers a range of duties from preliminary testing to assisting with procedures, aligned to VA qualification standards. The incumbent will work 7:30am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday, in a busy outpatient eye care setting, with responsibilities including

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.
• Experience and Education: 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
• Grandfathering Provision
• All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-04 Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-05 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function
• Ability to obtain - document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note
• Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting
• Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures
• Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs - such as replacing nose pads and screws
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-06 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-07 Experience
• One year of experience comparable to the next lower level 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: 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
• Assignment
• Employee at this grade level serves as a full performance level health technician (optometry)
• The technicians perform duties such as measuring and recording visual acuity (with use of pinhole testing as indicated) - obtaining accurate potential acuity meter - laser interferometry - contrast sensitivity or other specialized visual acuity measurements
• The technicians also evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size - determine the presence or absence of fusion and perform stereoacuity measurements
• Other assignments can be found in the qualification standards
• 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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing - walking - stooping - stretching - and lifting moderately heavy items
• Standing and walking could include periods of up to 60 minutes which can include escorting patients throughout facility
• Lifting could include items up to 20 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the clinics and performs preliminary examination of patients prior to examination by residents and attending physicians
• Incumbent has knowledge of general outpatient clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment - ability to obtain - document and record demographic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate medical record
• ability to use basic and standard ophthalmic equipment
• and knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical and critical reusable medical equipment
• Incumbent has knowledge of anatomy and function of the eye and basic ocular pharmacology
• knowledge of outpatient eye care policies and procedures in a health care environment
• ability to use basic ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to perform preliminary ocular testing
• ability to perform minor exoocular surgical assisting
• and ability to provide eye care patient education
• 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
• Clinical Responsibilities-included but not limited to Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function
• Sterilizes and cares for ophthalmic instruments
• Performs hard and soft contact lens instruction Assists with eye procedures in clinic and selects - sterilizes - and cares for ophthalmic instruments
• Administers eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist)
• Obtains an accurate medical and ophthalmic history
• Performs basic imaging testing such as corneal topography
• external photography
• fundus photography
• optical coherence tomography
• A and B-scans
• Performs basic ocular testing such as pachymetry - tear production with test strips - glare testing - stereo acuity - contrast sensitivity - potential acuity meter - measuring spectacles using both automated and manual lensometry and transposing cylinders
• Estimates the anterior chamber depth via slit lamp
• Triages patient phone calls or requests
• Ensures exam rooms are stocked with adequate supplies
• Assists in the training of students at the eye clinics when applicable and provides support to the clinic performing telephone triage and answering patient inquiries - Inquires and documents in the patient record patient's allergies before medication is administered and maintains continual observation of patients for signs of adverse reactions to medication or injections used for diagnostic examinations
• Assigned the duty of identifying patients in need of service - triaging patients for imaging and other eye care services - initiating consultations and examination procedures - generating clinical documentation - and performing diagnostic and therapeutic tasks
• Measures and records visual acuity - with and without pinhole
• Performs user level maintenance of all equipment
• Inventories - replaces - orders all medications - equipment - and supplies while documenting/tracking expiration dates on opened medication bottles
• Performs other testing/procedures as requested by provider Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:30pm - Monday through Friday Functional Statement #: 55779F - 55780F - 55781F - 55461F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Job description

Summary

Health Technicians (Optometry) at the Jacksonville 1 VA Clinic NFSG Veterans Healthcare System support Optometrists in diagnosis - treatment - prevention - follow-up care and patient counseling. The Health Technician (Optometry) triages patient phone calls or requests; ensures exam rooms are stocked with adequate supplies; instructs patients on administration of eye drops and provider instructions; accurately measures - compares - and evaluates pupillary responses as well as other supportive tasks.

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)
• Licensure/Certification/Registration
• None
• 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
• Grandfathering Provision
• All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-04 Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-05 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function
• Ability to obtain - document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note
• Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting
• Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures
• Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs - such as replacing nose pads and screws
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-06 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Health Technician (Optometry) - GS-07 Experience
• One year of experience comparable to the next lower level 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: 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
• Assignment
• Employee at this grade level serves as a full performance level health technician (optometry)
• The technicians perform duties such as measuring and recording visual acuity (with use of pinhole testing as indicated) - obtaining accurate potential acuity meter - laser interferometry - contrast sensitivity or other specialized visual acuity measurements
• The technicians also evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size - determine the presence or absence of fusion and perform stereoacuity measurements
• Other assignments can be found in the qualification standards
• 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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing - walking - stooping - stretching - and lifting moderately heavy items
• Standing and walking could include periods of up to 60 minutes which can include escorting patients throughout facility
• Lifting could include items up to 20 pounds.

Duties

• Incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the clinics and performs preliminary examination of patients prior to examination by residents and attending physicians
• Incumbent has knowledge of general outpatient clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment - ability to obtain - document and record demographic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate medical record
• ability to use basic and standard ophthalmic equipment
• and knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical and critical reusable medical equipment
• Incumbent has knowledge of anatomy and function of the eye and basic ocular pharmacology
• knowledge of outpatient eye care policies and procedures in a health care environment
• ability to use basic ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to perform preliminary ocular testing
• ability to perform minor extraocular surgical assisting
• and ability to provide eye care patient education
• 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
• Clinical Responsibilities-included but not limited to Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function
• Sterilizes and cares for ophthalmic instruments
• Performs hard and soft contact lens instruction Assists with eye procedures in clinic and selects - sterilizes - and cares for ophthalmic instruments
• Administers eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist)
• Obtains an accurate medical and ophthalmic history
• Performs basic imaging testing such as corneal topography
• external photography
• fundus photography
• optical coherence tomography
• A and B-scans
• Performs basic ocular testing such as pachymetry - tear production with test strips - glare testing - stereo acuity - contrast sensitivity - potential acuity meter - measuring spectacles using both automated and manual lensometry and transposing cylinders
• Estimates the anterior chamber depth via slit lamp
• Triages patient phone calls or requests
• Ensures exam rooms are stocked with adequate supplies
• Assists in the training of students at the eye clinics when applicable and provides support to the clinic performing telephone triage and answering patient inquiries - Inquires and documents in the patient record patient's allergies before medication is administered and maintains continual observation of patients for signs of adverse reactions to medication or injections used for diagnostic examinations
• Assigned the duty of identifying patients in need of service - triaging patients for imaging and other eye care services - initiating consultations and examination procedures - generating clinical documentation - and performing diagnostic and therapeutic tasks
• Measures and records visual acuity - with and without pinhole
• Performs user level maintenance of all equipment
• Inventories - replaces - orders all medications - equipment - and supplies while documenting/tracking expiration dates on opened medication bottles
• Performs other testing/procedures as requested by provider Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:30pm - Monday through Friday Functional Statement #: 55779F - 55780F - 55781F - 55461F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized