Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

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. Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Basic Experience and Education- To be found qualified you must possess one of the following basic requirements: 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's degree in a health care related degree. OR Experience/Education Combination 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) 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: GS 5- Health Technician (Ophthalmology)-(Entry Level) Experience or Education None beyond the basic requirements GS 6- Health Technician (Ophthalmology)-(Developmental Level 1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. GS-6 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following 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 in order to develop an accurate medical record. Ability to use basic ophthalmic equipment. Knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical reusable medical equipment. GS-7 -Health Technician (Ophthalmology),(Developmental Level 2) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level. GS-7 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. GS-8 Health Technician (Ophthalmology), (Full Performance Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level GS-8 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. Preferred Experience: COA Certification; 2 years of ophthalmology experience in Refractions, Zeiss, OL Biometry. 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 8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 5 to GS 8. Physical Requirements: 20/40 or better vision in one or both eyes. Use of both upper extremities. Use of both lower extremities. Dexterity to handle small instruments. Ability to lift 20 lbs. The Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, Surgical Care Service, is currently recruiting for one (1) Health Technician (Ophthalmology) to join their team. This position will be located at the Norman CBOC but may temporarily work at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center until the new CBOC facility in Norman is completed.