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Summary You will serve as the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) for the Optometry Clinic located at Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center Walla Walla, Washington. The Health Technician (Ophthalmology) GS-8 (FPL) provide services in ophthalmic care. Operates independently as the technician responsible for generating important and complex diagnostic procedures to produce information to be used by the eye clinic licensed providers. Responsibilities Performs complex diagnostic procedures with responsibility for calibrating and cleaning instruments prior to procedure, Duties will include but not limited to: Obtaining patient history with chief complaint, reason for visit, pertinent sign/symptoms past history both ocular and general; family history both ocular and general; social history; and review of medications and allergies, including current ocular prescription and nonprescription medications. Accurately tests visual acuity at distance and near, with and without correction or with and without a pinhole. Assists in the education and training of optometry students and residents. Performs optical functions including functioning as an optician either with independent licensure or under the supervision of the optometric physicians, including spectacle fitting, ordering, adjustment, repair; able to transpose prescriptions from plus to minus cylinder, triage optical/spectacle complaints, measure for properly fitting frames for monovision, bifocal, trifocal, and progressive addition lenses and coordinates with prosthetics and fabrication laboratory for orders and corrections as needed. Maintains effective control of the optometry work area by assisting to coordinate and organize the workflow to expedite care delivery. Assists in creating, implementing, and preparing written and oral reports for the completion of continuous or problem focused Process Improvement and Quality Assurance processes Assists in training and in-service programs to aid in the instruction of nurses and x physicians on procedures, operation and/or maintenance of new and existing medical equipment. Assists with establishing written procedures and protocol for use with new medical equipment. Reports complaints and requests from patients, physicians and other personnel x concerning activities of the Optometry department such as: appointment schedules, examinations, policies and procedures. Maintains adequate supplies and pharmaceuticals used in the department. Responsible to report equipment malfunctions for repair to biomed and or to their immediate supervisor. Assists scheduler in scheduling patients for exams at the VAMC to provide prompt medical care. Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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 #: 00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized. Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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. Must pass pre-employment medical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement: Basic Requirements: To qualify for appointment or placement to these occupational requirements, all applicants must possess the following: 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 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: Experience: One year of experience in a health care field, such as but not limited to nursing, medical assistant, or health technician. OR 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 Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples are listed below: Six months of experience in the health care field; and one year above high school; or 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 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). Note: The certification exception only applies below the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level the candidate must be certified. Note: 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment above, the following criteria below must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Health Technician (Ophthalmology), GS-8 (Full Performance Level): Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to perform advanced tonometry and pupil evaluation; Ability to perform calculations for selection of intraocular lens; Knowledge of clinic based ophthalmic surgical assisting; Knowledge of eye anatomy and physiology; Knowledge of medication effects and proper instillation in the eye; Knowledge of optics; and Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment. Preferred Experience: Optometric Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: light lifting and carrying (under 15 lbs), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking and standing (1 hr), near vision correctable, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid may be permitted). Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.