Summary The Ft. Harrison VA Health Care System located in Montana is currently recruiting for one GS 5, 6, 7 or 8 Health Technician-Ophthalmology Technician. Responsibilities Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Health Technician-Ophthalmology full performance level duties include, but aren't limited to the following: Provides technical clinical care to patients who have received care provided by Ophthalmologists for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care & patient counseling Performs screening procedures such as patient history, pupil responses, visual acuity & color vision testing Performs highly technical procedures using complex medical equipment, such as keratometry, tonometry, measuring eye's optical status, pachymetry, topography, ultrasonography, scanning laser imaging, retinal photography & angiography, electrophysiology, etc Performs intraocular measurements used by surgeons to select appropriate lens implant for cataract surgery Scrubs in & assists w/ surgical procedures including injections, minor & major operative procedures: wound revisions, eyelid lesion biopsies, cultures conjunctiva or cornea; reformation of anterior chamber, evacuates hyphema, repositions corneal endothelial grafts, intra-vitreous injections & laser surgical procedures Instills ophthalmic pharmaceutical agents, places/removes eye dressings/shields Maintains/calibrates/tests equipment Obtains patient physical history, to include chief complaint; reason for visit; pertinent signs/symptoms; past history both ocular & general; family history both ocular & general; social history & medication/allergy review, including current ocular prescription/non-prescription medications Tests visual acuity at distance & near, w/ & w/out correction or w/ & w/out pinhole Measures eyeglass prescription using manual or automated lensometer, records sphere, cylinder, axis & prism in both plus & minus cylinder Evaluates pupil: records size, shape, symmetry, reaction to light & accommodation & any abnormalities, including relative afferent pupillary defect Performs basic refractometry uses auto refraction or habitual glass prescription in phoropter Instills eye medications: i.e., drop or ointments, including anesthetic, dye, dilation, cycloplegic, or antibiotics Measures intraocular eye pressure using techniques including Goldman applanation tonometry Performs pachymetry to determine corneal thickness & manual keratometry or automated topography to detinning corneal curvature Performs intra-ocular lens calculations using IOL Master Performs automated visual field testing using various perimetry machines Performs external & fundus photography Performs Optical Coherence Tomography, of anterior segment, retina & optic nerve Performs urgent ocular patient screening/triages Educates patients & legal authorized representatives in eye care, including preoperative & postoperative instructions Educates/trains medical students, residents & fellows Ensures proper cleaning & disinfection; calibration, maintenance, backup, annual inventory & orders: instruments, supplies & equipment; obtains quotes as needed & reports needed repairs to biomedical engineering Maintains current BLS course certification Protects printed & electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance w/ Privacy Act of 1974 provisions & other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes & policies Protects data from unauthorized release or from loss; alteration or unauthorized deletion Follows applicable regulations & instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc Demonstrates I-Care values when interacting w/ all internal/external customers Maintains current knowledge of & practices according to The Joint Commission requirements Protects printed & electronic files containing sensitive data according to Federal privacy Act & confidentiality statutes Follows regulations & instructions regarding release of sensitive/protected patient/ employee information May serve on Service Line/VISN 19/medical center committees, workgroups, &/or task forces, etc Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm 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 w/ the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees w/ 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 monthly maximum of $416.66 Retirement: Traditional federal pension-5 years vesting, & federal 401K w/ 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 Functional Statement #: PD51477A 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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 US citizens English Language Proficiency Applicants must be proficient in spoken & written English 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 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) Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the minimum qualification requirements may be appointed as a graduate Health Technician (Ophthalmology) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of certification for a period not to exceed two years for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) that provides care under the supervision of an Ophthalmologist. The exception only applies below the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level the candidate must be certified. Failure to obtain COA certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment and may result in termination of employment Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) must actively pursue meeting certification requirements starting from the date of appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the uncertified Health Technician (Ophthalmology) with the written requirement to obtain certification, the date by which the certification must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified within two years from date of appointment will result in removal from the Health Technician (Ophthalmology), GS-0640 series and may result in termination of employment Loss of Credentials. A Health Technician (Ophthalmology) who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a Health Technicians-Ophthalmology on effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for title, series & grade held, including certification requirements. For employees who do not meet all basic requirements in this standard, but who met qualifications applicable to position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: 1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to & including full performance level, or changed to lower grade within occupation, but may not be promoted beyond full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions 2) Health Technicians-Ophthalmology who were appointed on a temporary basis prior to qualification standard effective date may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet basic requirements of standard 3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education &/or certification that meet all basic requirements of qualification standard must maintain required credentials as employment condition in occupation 4) Health Technicians-Ophthalmology who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave occupation lose protected status & must meet full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at reentry time to occupation Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpreting foreign educational credentials & such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs Grade Determinations: Following criteria must be met when determining candidate's grade in addition to basic requirements GS-5 Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements GS-6 Experience. One year experience equivalent to GS-5 grade level AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs) - Candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs in addition to above experience 1) Knowledge of general outpatient clinical policies & procedures in a healthcare environment 2) Ability to obtain, document & record demographic & patient medical information to develop an accurate medical records 3) Ability to use basic ophthalmic equipment & 4) Knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical reusable medical equipment GS-7 Experience. One year experience equivalent to GS-6 grade level AND Candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs in addition to above experience 1) Knowledge of anatomy & eye function & basic ocular pharmacology 2) Knowledge eye care outpatient policies & procedures in health care environments 3) Ability to use basic ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to perform preliminary ocular testing 4) Ability to perform minor extraocular surgical assisting & 5) Ability to provide eye care patient education GS- 8 Experience. One year experience equivalent to GS-7 grade level AND Candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs in addition to above experience 1) Ability to perform advanced tonometry & 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 & physiology 5) Knowledge of medication effects & proper eye instillation 6) Knowledge of optics & 7) Knowledge of proper cleaning & maintenance clinic equipment Preferred Experience: At least 1 year experience working in an eye clinic, experience using ophthalmology diagnostic & imaging equipment Experience fitting, dispensing & adjusting eyeglasses Certification by The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant, COA Reference: For more information on qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Vacancy full performance level is a GS-8. Applicants may be selected in grade ranges GS-5 to GS-8 Physical Requirements: Requires some physical exertion: prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching & lifting moderately heavy items: manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients Requires above average agility & dexterity Must possess & maintain valid state's driver's license to travel when required for work Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts can be unofficial transcripts, but must include your name, the school's entire name, the name of the course, date course taken, grade received for the course, amount of credits earned for the course, date degree conferred, (if applicable), (name of degree received, (if applicable). 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.