Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

Job Title: Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

Company: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Key Responsibilities

• Obtains and records vital signs including blood pressure, pulse, and glucose levels.
• Participates in quality assurance activities such as staff meetings, mandatory educational in-services, quality control reports, systems redesign, and team and morale improvement.
• Shadows journey-level Ophthalmology technicians.
• Practices and develops Ophthalmology technician skills/competency.
• Completes all VA mandated training in a timely fashion, including online intranet courses and any other required venue.
• Maintains active BLS certification.
• Properly schedules patient appointments, testing, procedures, and consults.
• Completes appropriate paperwork and computer entries in a timely manner.
• Properly completes paperwork to order supplies.
• Ensures availability of medications, supplies, and equipment in a clinic area.
• Ensures proper cleaning and disinfection, calibration, maintenance, backup, and ordering of instruments, supplies, and equipment.
• Reports needed repairs to Biomedical Engineering.
• Greets and checks in patients, fields telephone calls and messages in a pleasant and efficient manner.
• Communicates information in an appropriate fashion to the appropriate personnel.

Work Schedule

• Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (or as determined by supervisor based on service needs).

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Experience and Education
• One year of experience in a health care field (e.g., nursing, medical assistant, health technician).
• OR Two years above high school with a minimum of six semester hours directly related to a health care field or an associate's degree in a health care related degree.
• OR Equivalent combinations of experience and education.
• Certification: Must be certified as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) with the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).
• Physical Requirements:
• Ability to lift and/or carry up to 45 pounds (intermittently).
• Ability to straight pull/push up to 45 pounds (intermittently).
• Stoop, squat, and kneel (occasionally).
• Overhead work (intermittently).
• Prolonged walking and standing (up to 4 hours per day).
• Sitting (up to 2 hours per day).

Qualifications

For GS-5 (Entry Level)

• No additional experience or education beyond the basic requirements.

For GS-6 (Developmental Level 1)

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
• Knowledge of general outpatient clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment.
• Ability to obtain, document, and record demographic and medical information from patients to develop an accurate medical record.
• Ability to use basic ophthalmic equipment.
• Knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical reusable medical equipment.

For GS-7 (Developmental Level 2)

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA):
• Knowledge of anatomy and function of the eye and basic ocular pharmacology.
• Knowledge of outpatient eye care policies and procedures in a health care environment.
• Ability to use basic ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to perform preliminary ocular testing.
• Ability to perform minor extraocular surgical assisting.
• Ability to provide eye care patient education.

For GS-8 (Full Performance Level)

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA):
• 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.
• Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment.

Note: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected is in the range of GS-5 to GS-8.