Summary The Advanced Level Health Technician - Ophthalmology will respond to the needs of the staff ophthalmologists, the supervisory technician or other designated administrative supervisors who will maintain daily supervision and guidance. Independent work is an integral part of the position. Responsibilities Major duties include, but not limited to: Performs screening procedures such as patient history, pupil responses, visual acuity, and color vision testing. Analyze lens prescriptions, and fit eyeglasses and/or complex optical devices. Perform highly technical procedures utilizing complex medical equipment, such as keratometry, tonometry, measuring the optical status of the eye, perimetry, topography, ultrasonography, scanning laser imaging, retinal photography and angiography, electrophysiology, etc. Perform intraocular measurements that are used by surgeons for selection of the appropriate lens implant for cataract surgery. Medical support of health care delivery to patients by performing scrub duties and assisting in surgical procedures including injections, minor and major operative procedures such as cataract extraction, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastic procedures. Instill ophthalmic pharmaceutical agents, and place and remove eye dressings and eye shields as well as be responsible for maintenance and calibration of testing equipment. Provide education to ophthalmologists. Plans and carries out examinations in line with training and accepted practices, and independently makes recommendations about clinical situations, procedures or changes to procedures in some situations. Accept the technician's assessment without rechecking the work. Uses methods, recognizes conditions that cause erroneous results or creates dangerous situations, and may independently troubleshoot clinic problems and complex instruments. Resolves most differences that arise with patients, coordinates work with others as necessary and interprets policy such as eligibility for prosthetic devices. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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 #: 688-25185-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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. 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) 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: (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). 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). GRADE REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in section A, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Health Technician (Ophthalmology), GS-9 (Advanced Level) (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-8 grade level. (b) Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) 6 and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the advanced level, the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) performs difficult ophthalmic technical duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment. Duties include but are not limited to: refractometry utilizing retinoscopy to determine spectacle prescription; kinetic visual field testing (Goldmann); intraocular pressure measurements by applanation tonometry and other current methods; pupil evaluation recording pupil size, shape, symmetry, reaction to light and accommodation, and any abnormalities, including relative afferent pupillary defect; and basic slit lamp biomicroscopy evaluation to check for abnormalities prior to dilation (i.e.: anterior chamber depth/iris anomalies). The technician may perform advanced color vision testing of the entire visual spectrum to detect complex color vision defects such as monochromats, dichromats and anomalous trichromats. Measures eyeglass prescriptions using manual lensometer, recording sphere, cylinder, axis and prism in both plus and minus cylinder. Performs A-scan ultrasonography, including intra-ocular lens calculations, using immersion A- scan on eyes with complex pathology such as corneal scarring, irregular and/or high astigmatism, zonular weakness, high refractive error that requires multiple alternative calculating formulas. Performs B-scan ultrasonography to identify intraocular masses or abnormalities. Determines the corneal curvature by either manual keratometry or automated topography. Performs fluorescein or indocyanine green (icg) angiography, with diagnostic photography of retinal vessels. Performs slit lamp photography. May perform anterior segment OCT, confocal microscopy, electroretinography, electrooculography, and visual evoked potential. Assists in minor clinical surgical procedures, including laser surgery and intravitreal injections. Scrub technician assists in main OR surgical procedures, set up of sterile fields, operation and maintenance of phacoemulsification and vitrectomy units, cryosurgery, endolaser units, all of which require a thorough understanding of complex instrumentation and the ability to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently during surgical procedures and care of instruments. Assists with the microbiology testing of patients with sight-threatening ocular infections, preparing instrumentation and media for intraocular biopsy and/or culture. Performs thorough preparatory cleaning of critical reusable medical equipment in the operating room. Responsible for training other health technicians (ophthalmology). (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of advanced clinical optics, advanced ocular motility, advanced diagnostic testing, and microbiology testing; 2. Knowledge of ophthalmic surgical instruments; 3. Knowledge of appropriate preparatory cleaning of reusable medical equipment; and 4. Ability to assist in ophthalmic surgical procedures performed in the main operation room. Preferred Experience: 2+ years of full-time ophthalmic clinical experience plus certification (e.g., COA, COT, COMT). Understanding of anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the eye. Calibrating, cleaning, and troubleshooting ophthalmic devices. Certified ophthalmic assistant with surgical experience. 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-09. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, adequate auditory perception, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially extended periods of computer use, virtual care equipment use, sitting and/or standing 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. Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.
