Health Technician (Optician) - Erie, PA - Overview Summary Gathers information from the patient for frame and lens selection based on their prescription. Assists patients in the selection of frames, coordinating with the optical prescription. Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with patient's vocational and avocational visual requirements. Adjusts frame and lens position to fit patient upon exam. Completes necessary measurements for accurate ordering of eyeglasses, i.e., eyeglasses patients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices. Design, fit and adapt lenses for patients according to written optical prescription. Performs necessary testing using various optician instrumentation and equipment, such as, but not limited to, a lensometer. Completes appropriate order to Prosthetic Service for optical laboratory for eyeglasses and continually interfaces and communicates with Prosthetic Service and lab staff. Checks frames and lenses received from manufacturer for optical centering, axis, surface quality for pits and scratches, under or over polishing, impact resistant strain pattern, size and distance between lenses, temple length, frame color, segment inset and height in the event of multifocal prescriptions and matching of color in the cases of tinted lenses. Determine problems and take corrective measures to the satisfaction of the patient, as appropriate. This includes assisting patient walk-ins that may be experiencing difficulties with their glasses as well, on demand, including repairs. Provides and develops patient teaching/instruction on the proper care, usage and maintenance of their eyeglasses, as well as how to adapt to the changes they may experience with their new eyeglasses including contact information for the optician to address any concerns or issues they are experiencing. Performs other tasks to include assorted minor ocular and visual testing, e.g., color vision testing, stereopsis testing, Lensometery. Coordinates with clinical support personnel to insure that clinic physician requests for consultations and special testing both within and outside the Erie VAMC Work Schedule: Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not available at this time. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Optician)/PD02771A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Duties Knowledge and experience as an Optometry/Ophthalmic technician Measure for lenses and frames in order that eyeglasses are ordered in accordance with prescriptions of the physicians. The position functions as a participating member of the health care delivery team, working directly with physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other health care providers in completing work assignments. The optometrist provides oversight when the following are being performed: measuring visual acuities; measuring visual fields; verification of accuracy of filled eyeglass prescriptions and adjusting frames. Guidelines include Medical Center Memorandums, policies and procedures, and those VA regulations addressing the patient care management in the outpatient setting. They also include agency manuals, optometry and ophthalmologic textbooks, professional journals and magazines, medical dictionaries, manufacturer's catalogs and educational brochures. The position varies the order and sequence of procedures and uses judgment in selecting the most appropriate application of the guidelines based on the patient's condition and previous instructions. Unusual developments are referred to the team manager or designee. The nature of the assignment includes various facets which are specific to the operation of the Eye Clinic activities for approximately 150 patients per week, operation of complex technical equipment used for patient diagnostics and treatments; personal skills to effectively resolve scheduling problems, providing appropriate information for patient/family teaching. The incumbent must be adaptable to sudden changes or interruptions to the clinic schedule and must be constantly alert for unusual patient problems during diagnostic examinations/treatments. In each case, the type of care and the type of patient under consideration determine the steps to be taken. Skills which enable the coordination of all clinic functions including, but not limited to timeliness, smooth operations of the clinic; scheduling of appointments; ordering clinic supplies; maintenance of inventory records, including conduction and ordering annual inventories; and effective communications with clinic personnel. - $33,394 $48,385 Job Details Application Open Date 4/7/2018 Application Close Date 4/13/2018 Organization Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Who May Apply None Status None - Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at - . Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the - site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the - document. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an - . - Qualifications - To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/13/2018. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-6: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the federal government that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position as outlined above. Specialized experience includes work that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. One (1) year above high school with courses related to the position. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience in the fabrication of prescription spectacle lenses. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE Candidates must have one (1)year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Health Technician-Optician/Lens Fabricator. Qualifying specialized experience includes reading and interpreting eyeglass prescriptions to fabricate lens; operate a lens analyzer; measuring distance and near visual acuity; measuring intra ocular testing; verify all lens fabrication jobs meet established standards; and ensuring all fabricated lenses comply with written prescriptions. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED WITH YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE) Successful completion of 6 months or 9 semester hours of directly related graduate education or an internship in a directly related field as a substitution for experience. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED WITH YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE) Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience, as described above, will meet the requirements for this position. . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: - Attention to Detail - Communications - Customer Service - Organizational Stewardship - Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: - Physical Requirements: The incumbent must have dexterity and agility to handle fragile eyeglasses as well as microscopic instruments. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, pushing, reaching, carrying supplies and similar activities. Ambulation between various examination/treatment rooms is also required. Duties require incumbent to be able to lift a minimum of 45 pounds. Requires use of proper body mechanics and available lifting equipment. - Benefits - How To Apply - All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/13/2018 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10170433. - To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. - Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.