Health Technician (Ophthalmology)

Job Title

Duties include but are not limited to:

Technical and Clinical Duties:

• Checks and perform calibration of technical ophthalmology screening instruments.
• Obtains patient physical history, to include chief complaint; reason for visit; pertinent signs and symptoms; current medication allergies; past ocular and general medical history both ocular and general; family history both ocular and general; social history; and review of medication 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. Performs swinging flashlight test to detect a relatively different pupillary defect.
• Performs basic refractometry utilizing an auto refraction or habitual glass prescription in the phoropter.
• Instills eye medications (drops or ointments, including anesthetic, dye, dilating drops, cycloplegic drops, or antibiotics).
• Measures intraocular pressure with standard 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 an IOL Master or Lens Star or equivalent device.
• Assists during clinic-based ophthalmic surgery, including, for example, revision of wounds, biopsies of the eyelid lesions, cultures of conjunctiva, or cornea; reformation of anterior chamber, evacuation of hyphemia, repositioning of corneal endothelial grafts, intra-vitreous injections, and laser surgical procedures.

Clinic Management and Administrative Duties

• Properly schedule patient appointments, testing, procedures, and consults.
• Completes appropriate paperwork and computer entries in a timely manner.
• Ensures availability of medications, supplies, and equipment in the clinic area.
• Ensures proper cleaning and disinfection; calibration, maintenance, backup, and ordering of instruments, supplies, and equipment; and reports needed repairs for biomedical engineering.
• Greets, check-in patients, fields telephone calls and messages in a pleasant and efficient manners and then communicates the information in an appropriate fashion to the appropriate personnel.
• Properly and effectively uses the VA computer systems, CPRS, VISTA, and other required software programs.
• Maintains documents to facilitate summarization of information required by the Eye Section such as surgery or procedure information, medication logs, refrigerator temperature logs, and timekeeping.
• Schedules of appointments, meetings and conferences, and maintains calendars for eye physicians and support staff. Types, photocopy, scans, or faxes material generated by eye physicians, to satisfy their administrative, patient care, educational and/or research responsibilities.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66

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)

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 54822-F; 54823-F; 54824-F; 54825-F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized