Optometrist - Designated Education Officer

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current, permanent Facility Employees and VISN Employee only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

The Designated Education Officer (DEO) is frequently known as the Associate Chief of Staff for Education (ACOS-E) is the designated VAMC employee who has oversight responsibility for all health professions training at the VAMC. The DEO receives guidance on Health Professions Education (HPE) program requirements from the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA).

Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provides oversight to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risk of injury to HPTs (Health Professions Trainee), patients, staff and visitors in collaboration with facility Occupational Health and Patient Safety.
• Reviews and ensures that minimal qualifications and credentials are met by HPTs coming to VA for academic programs as attested to by the Trainee Qualifications Certification Verification Letter (TQCVL).
• Interacts with affiliated institutions as appropriate on matters pertaining to HPT assignments and curricula and on evaluation of the VA medical facility as a training site.
• Acts as a consultant to other VA medical facility staff on educational matters and interpreting policies according to VA requirements; provides comprehensive support to residency and training program and site directors.
• Acts as the liaison with the sponsoring institution's Designated Institution Officer (DIO) and other education leaders in the academic programs of education and research.
• Advocates for sufficient VA resources for appropriate management of HPE programs.
• Exercises oversight and administration of all clinical training programs at the VA medical facility and ensures compliance with all pertinent requirements and program accreditation standards. This oversight responsibility includes fiscal matters, affiliation and disbursement agreements, programmatic accreditation, credentials of HPTs, appointment, and payment of HPT stipends.
• Establishes local procedures for Educational Activity Record (EAR) keeping and disbursement including training, reconcile invoices, submitting rate schedules and reimbursing affiliates in a timely manner.
• Works closely with OAA to expand programs, collect and report data, and obtain guidance for unusual circumstances.
• Reviews and signs appropriate Program Letters of Agreement prepared by the affiliated institution.
• Manages special situations and issues pertaining to HPTs and advising the VA facility Director and the program director of the affiliated institution (or VA-sponsored program) concerning HPT competence, conduct, and compliance with VA regulations and policy.
• Ensures that all VA-sponsored programs maintain accreditation, collaborating with VA program director(s) on reporting, site visits, and making timely payments to match organizations and/or certifying bodies.
• Assigns work to staff in the HPE service.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework ad-hoc. Telework eligibility will be at agency's discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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 identification 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

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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. ~AND~
• 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: (1) 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 (2) Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients. ~AND~
• Optometrists must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry, and maintain a current 1 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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all basic requirements for the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees are considered to have met the basic qualification requirements for the purposes of transferring or reassignment to another Optometrist position within VA. (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) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who 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. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional certification that meet all the basic or assignment-specific qualification requirements of this standard must maintain the required credential as a condition of employment in the assignment.

Leadership/Manger positions: Organizational and functional titles do not replace but complement official position titles. Optometry leadership 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 healthcare 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.

Additional Requirement: Asenior, doctorally-prepared clinician (medicine, nursing, or other associated health leader) and a respected educator experienced in the administration of educational programs and knowledgeable about affiliations and affiliation relationships. A doctorally-prepared educator with experience in CLINICAL education and academic medical education settings would also be acceptable..

Preferred Experience: Leadership experience in clinical, educational, and administrative roles. Background in academic training environments (VA, affiliates, medical schools, or accrediting bodies). Strong knowledge of Health Professions Education (HPE) programs and oversight of trainees across all academic levels. Experience interfacing with affiliate schools, DIOs, program directors, and VA leadership. Experience managing complex education programs, including fiscal oversight, affiliation agreements, and administrative operations. Ability to collaborate on risk management, trainee safety, and handling trainee performance or conduct issues. Strong communication, relationship building, and policy development skills across clinical and academic leadership.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary. There are no special physical demands. The work environment includes everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of offices and meeting and training rooms.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into this field.
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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