Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

Veterans Health Administration • West Palm Beach, FL

12d • Onsite

About The Position

Ophthalmology Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration support Ophthalmologists with diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care, and patient counseling. The Health Technician (Ophthalmology) performs standard but complex diagnostic procedures, assists with clinic-based surgical procedures, educates patients and their legal representatives, and helps educate medical students and residents.

The role includes performing ophthalmic screening and diagnostic testing, triaging potentially urgent eye conditions, assisting with clinic-based ophthalmic surgery, and educating patients on eye care and preoperative and postoperative instructions. The technician also maintains and calibrates equipment and supplies, and is able to work independently on basic examinations, including refraction, tonometry, and non-mydriatic photography.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Telework is not authorized, and this is not a virtual position. A financial disclosure report is not required.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified candidates cannot be recruited.
• One year of experience in a health care field; or two years of education above high school with at least six semester hours directly related to a health care field or a health care-related associate degree; or a qualifying combination of experience and education.
• Current certification as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) through the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-8 full performance level: one year of experience equivalent to GS-7.
• For GS-8 full performance level: ability to perform advanced tonometry and pupil evaluation; perform intraocular lens selection calculations; and knowledge of clinic-based ophthalmic surgical assisting, eye anatomy and physiology, medication effects and proper eye instillation, optics, and proper clinic equipment cleaning and maintenance.
• Subject to background and security investigation, pre-employment urinalysis for applicants tentatively selected for testing-designated positions, and a pre-employment physical examination.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete required application and online onboarding processes and serve a one- or two-year trial period if appointed.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.

Nice To Haves

• Two years of experience as an Ophthalmology Technician.

Responsibilities

• Check and calibrate ophthalmology screening instruments.
• Obtain patient physical and ocular histories, including reason for visit, signs and symptoms, medication and allergy information, family history, and social history.
• Test distance and near visual acuity, with and without correction or pinhole.
• Measure eyeglass prescriptions with manual or automated lensometers and record sphere, cylinder, axis, and prism.
• Evaluate pupils, recording size, shape, symmetry, and response to light and accommodation; perform the swinging flashlight test for a relative afferent pupillary defect.
• Perform basic, distance, near, and complex refractions using autorefractors, habitual prescriptions, or a phoropter.
• Instill ophthalmic medications, including anesthetics, dyes, dilating and cycloplegic drops, and antibiotics.
• Measure intraocular pressure using standard techniques, including Goldmann applanation tonometry.
• Perform pachymetry, manual keratometry or automated topography, and intraocular lens calculations using an IOL Master or equivalent device.
• Perform automated visual field testing, external photography, fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment, retina, and optic nerve.
• Screen and triage potentially urgent ocular conditions.
• Assist with clinic-based ophthalmic surgery, including wound revisions, eyelid lesion biopsies, conjunctival or corneal cultures, anterior chamber reformation, hyphema evacuation, corneal endothelial graft repositioning, intravitreal injections, and laser procedures.
• Educate patients and legal authorized representatives about eye care and preoperative and postoperative instructions.
• Assist in educating and training medical students, residents, and fellows at affiliated facilities.
• Clean, disinfect, calibrate, maintain, and inventory instruments, supplies, and equipment; order supplies, obtain quotes as needed, and report repairs to biomedical engineering.
• Independently perform basic examinations, including refraction, tonometry, and non-mydriatic photography.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to eligible employees and their families.
• Annual leave accrual may be credited for qualifying prior federal work or military service, subject to approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree