Health Technician (Optometry)

Description:

These positions are located at the Jamaica Plain, MA Campus of the VA Boston Healthcare System, in the Optometry/Ophthalmology Clinics of Surgical Service.

Requirements:

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. 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 HT/assistant duties and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health technician/assistant or HT(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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Health Technician (Optometry), 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)

Health Technician (Optometry), GS-05
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function.
(b) Ability to obtain, document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note.
(c) Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting.
(d) Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures.
(e) Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs, such as replacing nose pads and screws.
Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental level 1 HT (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.

Health Technician (Optometry), GS-06
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) Ability to accurately enter into a phoropter the auto refractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e., eyeglasses prescription) or lensometer findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis.
(c) 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.
(d) Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.
(e) 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 HT (optometry). The HT operate and monitor commonly used equipment performing basic screening procedures. The HT understand basic hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of reusable medical equipment (RME) instruments and ophthalmic equipment.

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.
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:
(a) 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.
(b) 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.).
(c) Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near).
(d) Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures.
(e) Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.
(f) 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). They 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. They evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size, determine the presence or absence of fusion and perform stereoacuity measurements. The HT perform Amsler grid testing, administer eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist), perform basic tonometry (e.g., non-contact, Goldmann, Tono-Pen) and estimate the anterior chamber depth with a penlight or slit lamp biomicroscope. The HT are skilled in properly reading a basic spectacle prescription using an automated or manual lensometer, obtaining accurate auto refractometry and keratometry measurements, performing confrontation and standard automated visual field testing and administering and scoring basic color vision tests (e.g., pseudoischromatic plates, Farnsworth D-15). The HT are also adept at measuring and recording corneal thickness by pachymetry as well as performance of advanced corneal measurements, exophthalmometry, tear testing and ocular imaging.

References: VA Handbook 5005/142 Part II Appendix G68

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-5 to GS-7.

Basic Requirements: 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).