Job Information
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Health Technician (Optician) in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Summary The Health Technician (Optician) will be responsible for providing optical services and have knowledge of opticianry services essential to direction and operation of the Veterans' Administration (VA) Eye Care Optical Service, Surgical Care. Located at the Ernest Childers VA Outpatient Clinic for the Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System (EOKVAHC). Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to the following tasks: Design, measure, fit and adapt lenses and frames for clients according to written optical prescription or specification. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with client's vocational and avocational visual requirements. Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames in order to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands. Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices Repair damaged frames, clean and adjust spectacles. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial philological requirements, eye measurements and optical prescription. Coordinate with lab on missing or delayed glasses orders on behalf of patient. Perform administrative duties such as tracking inventory and sales, submitting patient insurance information, and performing simple bookkeeping. Arrange and maintain optical, including displays of optical merchandise. Maintains records of customer prescriptions, work orders and payments. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: This is not a telework position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Optician)/PD13166A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 5 CFR 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies. Qualifications To qualify for this position, all applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): All applicants must meet this requirement. Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), all applicants must meet the experience or education at the grade level as described below: GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Knowledge of excellent customer service, communication skills, and multitasking abilities Knowledge of work performed in an optical department Familiarity with medical and optical terminology Knowledge of the patient demographic trends in order to assist with the best eyewear for the individual patient Comprehensive knowledge of the mission, organization, and work processes of healthcare systems in order to efficiently and correctly process glasses orders OR, Education: Successful completion of at least 6 months of graduate education or an internship where it is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. 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. Physical Requirements: Incumbent needs to be able to stand and walk around freely to assist veterans daily; needs to be able to lift 10-15 pounds as needed on infrequent basis. Working Conditions: Risk/discomforts in this job would be possible screwdriver sticks when adjusting glasses or exposure to communicable diseases. Masks and gloves are readily available as a safety precaution. EOC rounds are done monthly to ensure areas are clean and safe both for patients and employees. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. Additional Information 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.