Qualifications

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
• Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 38 U.S.C. 7407(d)
• Experience and Education: 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
• Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying
• Examples are listed below:(a) Six months of experience in the health care field
• and one year above high school
• or(b) 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(c) 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)
• Certification Exception
• Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the minimum qualification requirements may be appointed as a graduate Health Technician (Ophthalmology) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B)
• The appointing official may waive the requirement of certification for a period not to exceed two years for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) that provides care under the supervision of an Ophthalmologist
• The exception only applies below the full performance level
• For grade levels at or above the full performance level the candidate must be certified
• Failure to obtain COA certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment and may result in termination of employment
• Grandfathering Provision
• All persons employed in VHA as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification requirements
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Grade Determinations: Health Technician-Ophthalmology, GS-5 (Entry Level)Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Health Technician-Ophthalmology, GS-6 (Developmental Level 1)Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level
• 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 health care 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
• and Knowledge of basic disinfection of non-critical reusable medical equipment
• Health Technician-Ophthalmology, GS-7 (Developmental Level 2) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level
• 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
• and Ability to provide eye care patient education
• Health Technician-Ophthalmology, GS-8 (Full Performance Level) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level
• 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
• and Knowledge of proper cleaning and maintenance of clinic equipment
• Assignment
• This is considered to be the full performance level for this assignment
• The Health Technician (Ophthalmology) at this level performs a range of standard, but complex, diagnostic procedures with responsibility for checking calibration of instruments prior to the procedure
• Responsible for obtaining patient physical history, to include chief complaint
• reason for visit
• pertinent signs/symptoms
• past history both ocular and general
• family history both ocular and general
• social history
• and review of medications and allergies, including current ocular prescription and non-prescription medications
• Accurately tests visual acuity at distance and near, with and without correction or with and without a pinhole
• Measures eyeglass prescription using manual or automated lensometer, recording sphere, cylinder, axis, and prism in both plus and minus cylinder
• Performs pupil evaluation recording pupil size, shape, symmetry, reaction to light and accommodation, and any abnormalities, including relative afferent pupillary defect
• Performs basic refractometry utilizing an auto refraction or habitual glass prescription in the phoropter
• Instills eye medications (i.e., drops or ointments, including anesthetic, dye, dilation, cycloplegic, or antibiotics
• Responsible for measuring intraocular pressure of the eye utilizing techniques, including Goldmann applanation tonometry
• Performs pachymetry to determine corneal thickness and manual keratometry or automated topography to determine corneal curvature
• Performs intra-ocular lens calculations using the IOL Master
• Performs automated visual field testing using various perimetry machines
• Performance of external photographs and fundus photography
• Performs optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the anterior segment, retina and optic nerve
• Performs patient screening and triage emergencies identifying ocular emergencies
• Performs patient screening and telephone triage for immediate care
• Assists during clinic-based ophthalmic surgery, including revision of wounds, biopsies of the eyelid lesions, cultures of conjunctiva, or cornea
• reformation of anterior chamber, evacuation of hyphema, repositioning of corneal endothelial grafts, intra-vitreous injections, and laser surgical procedures
• Educates patients and legal authorized representatives in eye care, including preoperative and postoperative instructions
• Additional assignments listed in the qualification standard below
• 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-8. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.