Health Technician (Optician)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/17/2024. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-5 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. Specialized experience includes: Ability to triage patient concerns by taking a history, performing lensometry, troubleshooting all optical issues and verification that eyeglass fabrication is completed as prescribed; Provide patient education concerning frame selection, lens options, and care of eyeglasses; Properly adjust eyeglasses for comfort and optical alignment for optimal visual performance and will instruct/educate patients on how to wear and care for eyeglasses; Take measurements, fit, and complete orders for optical lenses and frames; Repair of broken or defective eyeglasses; Maintain inventory for an eye clinic, and order supplies when necessary. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-6level. EDUCATION: Have you successfully completed one-half year of graduate education (9 semester hours or equivalent), in course matter with a major that included courses directly related to the work of the Health Technician (Optometry) position? This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (Transcripts Required). OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-6 level. Combination: Do you have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education AND specialized experience which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level? To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-6. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Physical requirements include an ongoing mix of sitting, standing, walking, bending, and carrying light weight items. Many of the position’s major duties require a high degree of manual dexterity and accuracy. Occasional heavy lifting may be required. In some instances, interactions with patients, caregivers, and staff can become intense and the employee may be placed in a position of stress. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincolns promise “To care for those who have served in our nations military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are Americas Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?