Summary The Mobile Eye Clinic at the Bristol, VA CBOC Optometrist functions as an independent provider of primary eye care. The optometrists provide ocular evaluation as part of the health services of the hospital. The mobile clinic comprises a self sufficient clinic for routine, chronic, and emergent care. There is a technician work up space and an exam lane for the optometrist. Responsibilities The VA Midsouth Healthcare Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care within a High Reliability Organization (HRO). Veterans and employees are empowered to achieve optimal health and well-being through a Whole Health model that connects with what matters most. Employees will commit to transforming every interaction from transactional to relational through personal health planning. Johnson City, located in upper East Tennessee, has invigorating music, and amazing outdoor activities. Local festivals include the Umoja Festival, Blue Plum Festival, The Unicoi Apple Festival, and the Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol TN/VA. Enjoy year-round outdoor activities at our area lakes and parks. Other attractions in the area are the Barter Theater, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Asheville, NC's Biltmore Estate. Come and enjoy an affordable cost of living, no state income tax, and excellent schools and universities! Start your adventure in Johnson City, Tennessee! A Hometown Heart with a Big City Soul! VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Duties include but are not limited to: Optometrists provide primary eye care for patients to promote excellent ocular health. Optometrists also review systemic diseases that can affect the ocular systems. The provision of care will occur primarily in the eye clinic for outpatient care, and can extend in limited form to inpatients in different hospital settings. Optometrists assess visual function through multiple techniques including assessment of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye. They also review systemic disease history to determine possible adverse effects on the ocular system. Optometrists can prescribe visual aids including glasses to remedy issues. They can also prescribe topical and systemic pharmaceuticals to manage acute or chronic ocular conditions. They are independent medical providers that work under their own licensure. Optometrists may utilize ancillary testing such as visual fields, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), fundus photography, etc., in order to better diagnose and manage ocular pathology. In circumstances which the patient needs secondary treatment such as surgery, the optometrists provide appropriate consultation to the proper specialty care provider, and are able to provide post operative follow up in many instances. They will provide clinical supervision to student interns and optometry residents when applicable. Optometrists will work effectively and courteously within the optometry section, as well as with internal and external customers. They will follow national and local policies, and comply with continuing education as required by their state license and by the medical center. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (7:30 a.m.to 4:00 p.m.) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): No authorized Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. 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 physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Qualifications To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. 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. Degree: Degree of doctor of optometry resulting from a course of education in optometry. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools or colleges approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: (1) United States and Canadian schools or colleges of optometry listed as accredited by the Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association, in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed. Schools (including foreign schools) accepted by the licensing body of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia as qualifying for full or unrestricted licensure. Licensure: Current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Optometrists are required to possess full and unrestricted licensure and to maintain a current registration in their State of licensure if this is a requirement of the particular State. Residency Training or Comparable Experience: Optometrist must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited post graduate training program or have comparable experience as described below: Approved residencies are: (1) Those with accredited or within pre-accredited status by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), in the list published for the year the residency was completed OR (2) Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United states consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients. Proficiency in spoken and written English. GRADE REQUIREMENTS. In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. Staff Optometrist. None beyond the basic requirements. Must possess the experience to perform general optometry duties, including clinical oversight of trainees as needed, and some specialized functions and procedures without supervision. Attending Optometrist: In addition to meeting basic requirements, and possessing privileges to perform all procedures being supervised, must demonstrate the following (1) Board Certification: Attending Optometrist must be board certified by the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry (ABCMO) or the American Board of Optometry (ABO); and (2) Meets one of the following criteria: (a) Faculty appointment(s) at a school or college optometry, medicine, or other health care profession; or (b) Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). Residency Coordinator: Optometrist who serves as the Residency Coordinator provides effective educational and administrative oversight to the residency program. A residency coordinator must meet the requirements of an attending optometrist and mee the ACOE accreditation standards for a residency coordinator. Distinguished Optometrist: A Distinguished Optometrist is recognized for scientific, academic, and administrative expertise and would typically be entrusted with a variety of key responsibilities beyond those of other Optometrist assignments. These duties could involve leadership, mentorship, research, clinical consultation, and, or influence the advancement of the profession. May play a key role in shaping policy, including the development of standards of practice, clinical guidance, or ethical regulations. The Optometrist is capable of providing expert advice and recommendations on clinical practices, procedures, and protocols. Will provide continuing education and promote high standards of knowledge and practice in optometry. In addition to meeting the basic requirements of an Attending Optometrist, the individual must meet at least two of the following: (1) Led or contributed to an advancement of the field through publications or clinical studies; (2) Published or presented at national or international optometric conferences; (3) Worked with government agencies, professional organizations, or regulatory bodies to advocate for the profession, addressing issues such as scope of practice or public health initiatives; (4) Served in a VA leadership/manager position with responsibility for the planning, coordination, and operation of a multi-faceted program that may have included clinical research, training, and, or other specialty service; (5) Possess post-residency fellowship training, advanced professional degree(s), or exceptional professional distinction(s); (6) Administrative or leadership experience at the state, regional, or national levels. Leadership/Manager Positions: Organizational and functional titles do not replace but complement official position titles. Optometry leadership and management positions may include but are not limited to: Supervisory Optometrists, Section Chiefs, Assistant/Deputy Chiefs, Service Chiefs, Facility/VISN Lead Optometrists, Service Line Managers, and Central Office Program Positions. An Optometrist in a leadership position must demonstrate the following: (1) Outstanding professional ability in the practice of optometry and health care administration; (2) The ability to guide the development and implementation of programs within their respective domain, to include but not limited to, optometry practice, professional standards, personnel issues, quality and performance improvement; (3) Effectiveness in coordinating and managing interdisciplinary collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders to optimize the care of patients under their purview. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-5 Optometrist Qualification Standard. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Placement in this position is subject to meeting the physical requirements of the position. This includes but is not limited to the following: light lifting under 15 pounds, walking and standing for 5 hours, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, both eyes required, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to distinguish shades of colors. Education Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.] NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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.
