Supervisory Health Technician - Ophthalmology

Clarification from the agency

The public NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

The Supervisory Health Technician GS-10 (Ophthalmology) duties include but not limited to the following:

Functions or Scope of Practice

• Preparing work assignments
• Monitoring clinical performances of HT (Ophthalmology) staff, volunteers, and/or students,
• Conducting performance appraisals, and other clinical and administrative responsibilities to ensure that the mission of the service and the medical center has been satisfied.
• Assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements, and the quality management program, assuring corrective action is initiated as needed.
• Assures orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff.
• Develops policies and procedures
• Manages document control.
• Develops performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements.
• Assumes responsibility for professional and administrative management of an assigned area to include budget execution.
• Maintains interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals.
• May have overall responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs to ensure proper coordination between care delivered by the program and overall delivery of healthcare within the facility, or coordination of non-VA care as appropriate.

Supervisory Controls

• Supervision
• Administrative management and direction of Health Technicians (Ophthalmology)
• Monitoring clinical performances (Ophthalmology) Staff, volunteers, and/ or students
• Conducting performance appraisals, and other clinical and administrative responsibilities to ensure that the mission of the service and the medical center has been satisfied.
• Planning and directing Health Technician (Ophthalmology) staff activities for the service or equivalent unit at the outpatient clinic.
• Responsible to the Chief Ophthalmology Program Coordinator (if present) and the Chief of Ophthalmology

Customer Service

• Meets the needs of customers while supporting the Medical Center and Service
  missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors,
  volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and
  procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively
  and appropriately

Age, Development and Cultural Needs of Patients

• Provides care and/or services appropriate to the age of the patients being served, and which is appropriate to the cognitive; emotional, and chronological maturation of the patient. Assesses data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age- specific needs and to provide care needed as described in the services' policies and procedures.
• Takes into consideration age-related differences of the various veteran populations with this institution.
• Demonstrate the knowledge of the changes associated with aging and possess the ability to provide care/support based upon age related factors. Ensures staff receives training in these categories.
• Sensitivity to the special needs of all patients in respect to age, developmental requirements, and culturally related factors must be consistently achieved.

Computer Security

• Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA guidelines.
• Protects the data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion.
• Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc., as set out in the computer access agreement that the employee signs

Work Schedule: M-F 7:00am-3:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: GS-0640-10
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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 1 or 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

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.

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 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 degree in a health care related degree OR
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples are listed below:
    • Six months of experience in the health care field; and one year above high school; or
    • 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
    • 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).
• 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.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

• Grade Level Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 Supervisory Health Technician (Ophthalmology) grade level. Experience includes but not limited to the following:
  • Supervision, administrative management, and direction of Health Technician (Ophthalmology) auxiliary staff.
  • Administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) staff activities for the service or equivalent unit at an independent outpatient clinic.
  • Preparing work assignments.
  • Monitoring clinical performances of Health Technician (Ophthalmology) staff.
  • Conducting performance appraisals, and other clinical and administrative responsibilities to ensure that the mission of the service and the medical center has been satisfied.
  • Assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements.
  • Assures corrective action is initiated as needed.

AND,

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to work independently to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service;
  • Ability to develop policy, manage equipment requests, and provide workload analysis in Ophthalmology Service;
  • Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team members, managers and other departments;
  • Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which includes responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; competency assessments; performance evaluations; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions.

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-10. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-10.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

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.

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:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)

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
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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