Optometrist

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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Duties

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Applications will be reviewed weekly until filled.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Maybe approved.

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)

Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided

Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Duties:

The position provides support of the day-to-day activities of the Eye Clinic.

• Incumbent will provide care as delineated in the clinical privilege list for Optometrists.
• The clinician will conduct primary ocular health examinations including dilated eye exams for diabetic eye care, glaucoma, macular degeneration and other related conditions prevalent in a hospital-based eye clinic.
• The clinician must be adept at managing these conditions with appropriate therapeutic intervention and/or referral protocols.
• Primary eye and vision care services consist of: prescribing and ordering eyeglasses
• Ordering diagnostic imaging and laboratory studies
• Preparing referrals for diagnosis, treatment, and management of systemic and ocular conditions revealed through optometric examination
• Patient and family health education.

Components of primary optometric eye and vision care include:

• Emergency care (evaluating/managing/triaging emergent, not-surgical eye conditions)
• Problem-oriented care (managing patients referred with complaints of typical routine disorders)
• Preventive health services (performing mandated examinations such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma screenings).

Clinical procedures employed include:

• Medical and ocular history
• Visual acuity measurement
• Pupillary function testing
• Color vision testing
• Extraocular muscle function and binocularity testing
• Refractive and accommodative testing
• External examination of the eye and adnexal structures
• Biomicroscopic evaluation of the ocular adnexa, anterior, and/or posterior segments of the eye, including gonioscopic and fundus lens evaluation
• Ophthalmoscopic, tonometric, and perimetric evaluations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skill Set:

• Manifest Refractions
• Retinoscopy
• Goldmann Applanation tonometry
• External examination
• Anterior Segment Slit Lamp examination
• Fundus Slit Lamp examination
• Indirect ophthalmoscopy
• Fundus photography interpretation
• OCT interpretation
• Visual Field interpretation
• Evaluation and Management of routine eye diseases including refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, dry eye, glaucoma,
• Evaluation and Diagnosis of complex eye diseases including corneal ulcers, cataracts, retinal tears, retinal detachments, ocular tumors
• Proficiency with electronic medical record systems
• Maintenance of an unrestricted Optometry license

Work Schedule: Full-Time; Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 4:30 pm; Management reserves the right to change schedule to accommodate patient needs. Including extended hours and weekends.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment Drug Test evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Optometrist Basic Requirements: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38, United States Code (U.S.C). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education: Degree of Doctor of Optometry resulting from a course of education in optometry. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools or colleges approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are United States and Canadian schools or colleges of optometry listed as accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Licensure/Registration : Optometrists must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry, and maintain a current 1 registration in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia that requires successful passage of all parts of National Board of Examiners in Optometry intended for basic licensure. The Optometrist must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.
• Residency Training or Comparable Experience: Optometrists must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of VA in an accredited post-graduate training program, or have comparable experience, as described below:

(1) Approved residencies are those with accredited or within pre-accredited status by the ACOE, in the list published for the year the residency was completed.

OR

(2) Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients.

• English Language Proficiency : Optometrists appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7402(d) and 7407(d).

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit.

Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the position. The selected candidate should be physically and mentally capable to perform the duties of the position. Physical activity includes sitting, standing (up to2hours), walking (up to 2 hours), bending and reaching.

Education

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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