Staff Optometrist

Veterans Health Administration • Hot Springs, SD

4d • Onsite

About The Position

VA Black Hills Health Care System is seeking a Staff Optometrist to provide outpatient eye care to Veterans in Hot Springs, South Dakota. The optometrist is an independent practitioner and full member of the eye care team, exercising initiative and judgment in daily work and providing care and ancillary testing within their credentials and clinical privileges. The position also involves teaching medical students rotating through the VA Health Care System and providing ongoing education to patients and their families.

The role supports the VA Whole Health System of care, which emphasizes personalized health plans, healing relationships and environments, and connections to the Veteran’s community. This position may be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to program requirements and approval. The announcement is open continuously, and qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager weekly until it is closed, cancelled, or filled.

The schedule is Monday through Thursday. Part-time hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; full-time hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A compressed tour is available for full-time employees only. Telework and virtual work are not available. Relocation and recruitment incentives, as well as permanent change of station benefits, are not authorized.

Requirements

• Doctor of Optometry degree from a school or college approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the year the course of study was completed.
• Current, full, unrestricted license to practice optometry and current registration in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia requiring successful passage of all parts of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry intended for basic licensure.
• Successful completion of an approved residency in an accredited or pre-accredited post-graduate training program, or comparable experience consisting of two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States with active involvement in managing medically complex patients.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Experience to perform general optometry duties, including clinical oversight of trainees as needed, and some specialized functions and procedures without supervision.
• Must meet the optometrist basic requirements; applicants pending completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing-designated position are subject to pre-appointment urinalysis; refusal results in denial of employment.
• Must complete a background/security investigation, online onboarding, acceptable identity-document checks, and a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a two-year probationary period, subject to evaluation and written certification for continued employment.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Must complete all application requirements in the announcement’s Required Documents section.

Responsibilities

• Provide outpatient optometric care to patients and perform eye care and ancillary testing within credentials and clinical privileges.
• Enter accurate, complete, and timely progress notes for each episode of care in the patient’s electronic record using the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• Use, maintain, and calibrate specialized equipment used to assess and care for patients.
• Apply standards for the use and reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME).
• Assist with orienting new staff.
• Provide patient and family education, including informed consent, and teach medical students rotating through the VA Health Care System.
• Follow safety, health, infection-control, and ergonomic standards and report unsafe conditions to the supervisor or appropriate officials.
• Participate in performance improvement activities, disaster preparedness, and administrative duties, and complete other responsibilities assigned by the Surgery/Specialty Care Chief, Chief of Optometry, or BHHCS Executive Team.
• Consider patients’ age, functional capacity and limitations, ability to understand and follow directions, and ability to provide objective self-assessment when planning care in line with overall treatment goals.

Benefits

• May be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, a student loan payment reimbursement program, subject to eligibility and program approval.
• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree