Health Technician (Optometry)

Veterans Health Administration • Toledo, OH

7d

About The Position

Optometry technicians in the Veterans Health Administration support optometrists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care, and patient counseling. The full-performance technician performs standard and complex diagnostic procedures, assists with clinical-based surgical procedures, educates patients and legal representatives, and may assist with education of medical students and residents. Under an optometrist’s supervision, the technician may perform direct patient care services.

The role includes conducting ophthalmic testing and measurements, recording patient information in electronic progress notes, supporting eye-care providers with procedures, educating patients about eye health and vision conditions, and assisting with spectacle fitting, dispensing, troubleshooting, and basic telephone triage. Technicians also help maintain examination rooms and equipment, coordinate scheduling and follow-up care, and observe clinic hygiene, infection-control, and medical procedures.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., variable based on service needs. The full-performance level is GS-07; the grade offered for selection is GS-06 to GS-07. The position requires mobility throughout the clinic and assistance to patients as needed.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated statutory exception for appointments when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Meet the basic qualification requirement through one of the following: one year of qualifying health technician or health-care assistant experience; two academic years above high school with at least 12 semester hours in a related field, an associate degree, or an independent study course in an optometry-related technician or assistant field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• For GS-05, one year of experience equivalent to GS-04 and demonstrated knowledge of basic eye anatomy, patient information documentation, hygiene and infection control, clinic procedures, and minor eyeglass repairs.
• For GS-06, one year of experience equivalent to GS-05 and demonstrated abilities in patient education and contact lens care, phoropter entry, spectacle fitting and dispensing, basic triage, and knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies.
• For GS-07, one year of experience comparable to GS-06 and demonstrated abilities in preliminary objective assessment of optical status, eyeglass issue triage, assessment of accommodation and ocular alignment, assisting with ophthalmic procedures, obtaining ocular cultures and smears, and advanced patient education.
• No licensure, certification, or registration is required.
• Applicants using education to qualify must submit transcripts; qualifying education must be from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination and, if tentatively selected for a testing-designated position, urinalysis for illegal drug use.
• Subject to background and security investigation and required online onboarding.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Must complete the required application steps, including the online assessment.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program for VA health-care personnel.
• Must serve a two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.

Responsibilities

• Assist with patient movement throughout the eye clinic.
• Clean and disinfect examination rooms and stock them with required supplies.
• Clean and disinfect reusable medical equipment, instruments, and ophthalmic equipment according to basic hygiene and infection-control practices.
• Communicate with scheduling staff to facilitate patient appointments, provider instructions for triaging eye care, and follow-up care.
• Obtain, document, and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients for accurate electronic progress notes.
• Follow eye-clinic and patient-care medical policies and procedures.
• Triage and manage eyeglasses issues, including measurements and corrections such as vertex distance, base curve, prism correction, center thickness, slab-off, Fresnel prism, and decentration.
• Educate patients about eye health and vision conditions, including assisting with contact lens insertion, removal, cleaning, and disinfection.
• Enter autorefractometry results, habitual refractive prescriptions, or lensometer findings into a phoropter, including sphere, cylinder, and axis.
• Determine a preliminary objective estimate or refinement of the eye’s optical status without performing the patient’s final subjective refraction.
• Measure and record visual acuity and, when indicated, perform pinhole testing, potential acuity meter, laser interferometry, contrast sensitivity, or other specialized visual acuity measurements.
• Assess accommodation, near point of convergence, and ocular alignment at distance and near.
• Fit and dispense spectacles, including selecting frames and lenses, measuring interpupillary distance and segment height, and transposing sphere, cylinder, and axis.
• Provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.
• Restock examination rooms with ophthalmic medications and supplies.
• Assist optometrists or ophthalmologists with ophthalmic procedures, including assessing pupillary light responses and pupil size, determining fusion, performing stereoacuity and Amsler grid tests, administering eye drops under provider supervision, performing basic tonometry, and estimating anterior chamber depth.
• Read basic spectacle prescriptions using automated or manual lensometers; obtain autorefractometry and keratometry measurements; perform confrontation and standard automated visual-field testing; and administer and score basic color-vision tests.
• Measure and record corneal thickness by pachymetry and perform advanced corneal measurements, exophthalmometry, tear testing, and ocular imaging as assigned.
• Assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.
• Assist with clinical-based surgical procedures and, when applicable, the education of medical students and residents.

Benefits

• The federal employee benefits package is described as comprehensive and available to the employee and family, with specific eligibility depending on position type.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior federal or military service, if requested and approved before appointment.

What This Job Offers

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