Summary

VA Portland Health Care System is a Complexity Level 1a Facility and provides extensive primary - secondary - tertiary - and quaternary care in outpatient - inpatient - residential - and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site medical system that includes a major medical facility in Portland - Oregon - outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver - Washington - and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

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
• 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
• Creditable Experience Knowledge of Current Health Technician (Ophthalmology) Practice
• To be creditable - the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with a health care field or knowledge - skills - and abilities related to the current occupation
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment in the health care field
• Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to Health Technician (Ophthalmology) experience at the GS-8 level.Part-time Experience
• Part time experience as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week
• For example - a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) employed 20 hours per week - or on a ½ time basis - would receive one full-time work week credit for each two weeks of service
• 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)
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Ophthalmology) - GS-9 (Advanced Level) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-8 grade level
• Assignment
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• At the advanced level - the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) performs difficult ophthalmic technical duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment
• Duties include but are not limited to: refractometry utilizing retinoscopy to determine spectacle prescription
• kinetic visual field testing (Goldmann)
• intraocular pressure measurements by applanation tonometry and other current methods
• pupil evaluation recording pupil size - shape - symmetry - reaction to light and accommodation - and any abnormalities - including relative afferent pupillary defect
• and basic slit lamp biomicroscopy evaluation to check for abnormalities prior to dilation (i.e.: anterior chamber depth/iris anomalies)
• Thetechnician may perform advanced color vision testing of the entire visual spectrum to detect complex color vision defects such as monochromats - dichromats and anomalous trichromats
• Measures eyeglass prescriptions using manual lensometer - recording sphere - cylinder - axis and prism in both plus and minus cylinder
• Performs A-scan ultrasonography - including intra-ocular lens calculations - using immersion A-scan on eyes with complex pathology such as corneal scarring - irregular and/or high astigmatism - zonular weakness - high refractive error that requires multiple alternative calculating formulas
• Performs B-scan ultrasonography to identify intraocular masses or abnormalities
• Determines the corneal curvature by either manual keratometry or automated topography
• Performs fluorescein or indocyanine green (icg) angiography - with diagnostic photography of retinal vessels
• Performs slit lamp photography
• May perform anterior segment OCT - confocal microscopy - electroretinography - electrooculography - and visual evoked potential
• Assists in minor clinical surgical procedures - including laser surgery and intravitreal injections
• Scrub technician assists in main OR surgical procedures - set up of sterile fields - operation and maintenance of phacoemulsification and vitrectomy units - cryosurgery - endolaser units - all of which require a thorough understanding of complex instrumentation and the ability to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently during surgical procedures and care of instruments
• Assists with the microbiology testing of patients with sight-threatening ocular infections - preparing instrumentation and media for intraocular biopsy and/or culture
• Performs thorough preparatory cleaning of critical reusable medical equipment in the operating room
• Responsible for training other health technicians (ophthalmology)
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1
• Knowledge of advanced clinical optics - advanced ocular motility - advanced diagnostic testing - and microbiology testing
• 2
• Knowledge of ophthalmic surgical instruments
• 3
• Knowledge of appropriate preparatory cleaning of reusable medical equipment
• and 4
• Ability to assist in ophthalmic surgical procedures performed in the main operation room
• References: VA Handbook 5005/98 - Part II - Appendix G52 Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.) - Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs.) - Use of fingers - Both hands required - Walking and standing (1-4 hrs.) - Repeated bending (1-2 hrs.) - Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously - Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4 - Ability to distinguish basic and shades of colors - Hearing (aid permitted) - Mental and emotional stability.

Duties

• The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: The Health Technician (Ophthalmology) at the advanced level performs difficult ophthalmic technical duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment
• In addition to the duties expected of the GS-8 level - the following clinical duties and responsibilities are expected at the GS-9 Advanced Technician assignment: i
• Advanced refractometry including prisms to determine spectacle prescription
• ii
• Kinetic visual field testing
• iii
• Intraocular pressure measurements by applanation tonometry and other current methods
• iv
• Pupil evaluation recording pupil size - shape - symmetry - reaction to light and accommodation - and any abnormalities - including relative afferent pupillary defect
• v
• May perform advanced color vision testing of the entire visual spectrum to detect complex color vision defects such as monochromats - dichromats and anomalous trichromats
• vi
• Performs A-scan ultrasonography - including intra-ocular lens calculations - using immersion A-scan on eyes with complex pathology such as corneal scarring - irregular and/or high astigmatism - zonular weakness - high refractive error that requires multiple alternative calculating formulas
• vii
• Performs UBM-scan ultrasonography
• viii
• Performs fluorescein (FA) or indocyanine green (ICG) angiography - with diagnostic photography of retinal vessels
• ix
• Performs slit lamp photography
• x
• May perform diagnostic anterior segment imaging
• xi.
• Assists in minor clinical surgical procedures - including laser surgery and intravitreal injections
• xii
• May assist as scrub technician in main OR surgical procedures - set up of sterile fields - operation and maintenance of phacoemulsification and vitrectomy units - cryosurgery - endolaser units - all of which require a thorough understanding of complex instrumentation and the ability to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently during surgical procedures and care of instruments
• xiii
• Assists with the microbiology testing of patients with sight-threatening ocular infections - preparing instrumentation and media for intraocular biopsy and/or culture
• xiv
• Performs thorough preparatory cleaning of critical reusable medical equipment used in surgical procedures
• xv
• Responsible for training other health technicians and students
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 0800-1630 Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized