Health Technician

Summary

This Health Technician (Optometry) position is in the Surgical Care services at the Togus VA Medical Center providing care at the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located at the Bangor, Maine or Lewiston/Portland, Maine locations. This position is intermittent at part-time hours per week. Note: The incumbent selected for Lewiston, Maine location will be required to travel to provide care and coverage at both the Lewiston CBOC and Portland CBOC.

Qualifications

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
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English
• 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 listed below: (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
• Grade Determinations: GS-04: Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignment
• Employees at this grade level serve in a health technician (optometry) entry level position
• More experienced staff members guide and provide daily direct supervision for the health technicians (optometry)
• GS-05: Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-04
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Assignment
• Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 1 health technicians (optometry)
• It is expected they receive guidance from more experienced staff members for patient issues and require daily and direct contact with senior optometry personnel at the work site
• GS-06: Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-05
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Assignment: Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 2 health technicians (optometry)
• The technicians operate and monitor commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures
• The health technicians (optometry) understand basic hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of reusable medical equipment (RME) instruments and ophthalmic equipment
• At this level, the technicians assist optometry staff by obtaining an accurate medical/ophthalmic history, as well as coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form
• Deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems and unfamiliar situations are referred to the supervisor for a decision or assistance
• Assignments at this level involve procedures performed under supervision from senior optometry personnel
• GS-07: Experience
• One year of experience comparable to the next lower level GS-06
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Assignment
• Employee at this grade level serves as a full performance level health technician (optometry)
• The technicians perform duties such as measuring and recording visual acuity (with use of pinhole testing as indicated), obtaining accurate potential acuity meter, laser interferometry, contrast sensitivity or other specialized visual acuity measurements
• Preferred Experience: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G68 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-07
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Duties "Duties include but are not limited to: Consistently responds to patients, families, and co-worker's requests for assistance promptly and in a friendly and cooperative manner.
Routinely identifies the customer's situation properly and performs tasks required to resolve customer's problem accurately and in a timely manner.
Listens to all customer feedback, positive and negative, acts to resolve complaints within his/her control and reports feedback to the supervisor in a timely manner.
Consistently provides written and oral communication that is thorough and correct, using clear precise communication methods to ensure that customers understand.
Routinely interacts in a professional and courteous manner with contacts made during the course of conducting business.
Assesses their own reaction to the patients and significant others and recognizes own limitations in coping with stressful situations, seeking help from the supervisor as appropriate.
Applies therapeutic communication techniques when interacting with demanding or distressed patients; Demonstrates professionalism at all times, modeling the tenants of I-CARE.
Work Schedule: Intermittent, Days TBD, Schedule 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: FS03147 at GS-04, FS03148 at GS-05, FS03149 at GS-06, FS03021 at GS-07 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service.
This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.
Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.
Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).
The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
THIS OPEN & CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT (OCA) ESTABLISHES A STANDING REGISTER OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, which closes on (08/08/2024).
The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be (05/22/2024) with subsequent reviews every other week as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled.
Please see the \"What To Expect Next\" area of the announcement which provides additional information on the referral process for this type of announcement."

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