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.
Experience and Education.
Experience. One year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field demonstrating the applicant's ability to perform the work or by demonstrating a basic understanding of work in the health care field;
OR
Education: Successful completion of two academic years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours related to health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant or associate degree, or completion of an independent study course in an optometry related technician or assistant field;
OR
Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
Examples are: (a) Six months of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge of optometry assistant theory and practices and general understanding of the health technician/assistant duties and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant related courses.(b) Successful completion of a course for health care technicians or assistants, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training in a program given by the U.S. Armed Forces, the U.S. Maritime Service, or the U.S. Public Health Service, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis.
Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
Licensure/Certification/Registration: None
English Language Proficiency: Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Health Technicians (Optometry) who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation
Grade Determinations:
Health Technician (Optometry) GS-4
None beyond Basic Requirements.
Health Technician (Optometry) GS-05
Experience- One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
In addition to experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):
- Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function.
- Ability to obtain, document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note.
- Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting.
- Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures.
- Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs, such as replacing nose pads and screws.
Health Technician (Optometry) GS-06
Experience- One year experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
In addition to experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):
- Ability to provide patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions, to include assisting with patient contact lens insertion, removal and hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) care.
- Ability to accurately enter into a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e., eyeglasses prescription) or lensometer findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis.
- Ability to perform patient spectacle fitting and dispensing, including selection of appropriate frame, ophthalmic lenses, interpupillary measurements (distance and near) and proper segment height determination, as well as the ability to transpose sphere, cylinder and axis.
- Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.
- Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms.
Health Technician (Optometry), GS-07
Experience- One year of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled.
In addition to experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):
- Ability to determine preliminary objective estimate and/or refinement of the optical status of the eye, not to include the patient's final subjective refraction.
- Ability to triage and manage eyeglasses issues (e.g., measurement of vertex distance, base curve, prism correction, center thickness, slab off, Fresnel prism, decentration, etc.).
- Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near).
- Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures.
- Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.
- Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions.
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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7.
Physical Requirements: See VA HANDBOOK 5019