Summary The Optometrist provides comprehensive eye and vision care to eligible veterans presenting in clinic or on inpatient wards and during scheduled regular hours. This includes but is not limited to a full exercise of credentials for correction of vision, treatment of eye diseases and disorders that are within the scope of the optometrist's clinical privileges and providing rehabilitative care if applicable. Responsibilities VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Major include but are not limited to: Delivering high quality primary optometric & vision care services as delineated in the clinical privileges. Examining eyes, lids, adnexa, and the visual systems of patients. Providing basic low vision evaluation and services. Diagnosing, managing and treating refractive conditions, binocular functions, ocular diseases and conditions, ocular complications of systemic disease, etc. Ordering diagnostic ocular imaging. Providing patient & family education regarding ocular health issues. Referring patients to ophthalmology for diagnosis, treatment and management of systemic and ocular conditions revealed through optometric examinations. Evaluating, managing and triaging emergent, non-surgical eye conditions. Managing patients referred with complaints typical of routine eye care disorders. Performing health services and mandated examinations such as diabetic retinopathy & glaucoma screenings. Conducting clinical evaluations such as: medical & ocular history; visual acuity measurement; pupillary function testing; color vision testing; extraocular muscle function & binocularity testing; refractive & accommodative testing; external examination of the eye & adnexal structures; biomicroscopic evaluation of the ocular adnexa, anterior, and/or posterior segments of the eye, including gonioscopic & fundus lens evaluation; ophthalmoscopic, tonometric, & perimetric evaluations; etc. Collaborating with other optometrists, ophthalmologists, nursing staff, technicians & administrators to facilitate operations within the service to meet common goals. Work Schedule: Tour of Duty will fall between Monday and Friday and will include two days of working 8:00am - 4:30pm and a third day of working 8:00am - 12:00pm. The scheduled days are flexible and can be discussed at the interview. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Contract: No Physician Employment Contract. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. 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. 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 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. Optometrist Basic Requirements Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38, United States Code (U.S.C). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). Education. 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 (VA) for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are United States and Canadian schools or colleges of optometry listed as accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed. Licensure and Registration. Optometrists must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry, and maintain a current registration in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia that requires successful passage of all parts of National Board of Examiners in Optometry intended for basic licensure. The Optometrist must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure. Residency Training or Comparable Experience. Optometrists must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of VA in an accredited post-graduate training program, or have comparable experience, as described below: Approved residencies are those with accredited or within pre-accredited status by the ACOE, in the list published for the year the residency was completed. OR Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients. Preferred Experience: 5-10 years of Optometry experience, as well as experience working with the Veteran population. Grade Determinations: Your pay will be determined by qualifications through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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 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.
