Optometrist

The Staff Optometrist is a licensed independent practitioner responsible for patient care activities in the Eye Clinic. Planning, coordinating and exercising professional judgement in initiating and implementing administrative and clinical decisions are integral components of the position.

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.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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.
• Optometrists must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice optometry, and maintain a current 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: 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. NOTE: The Approving Official may approve, under unusual circumstances, a waiver of residency or comparable experience.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Responsibilities:

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be June 19, 2026 with subsequent cut-off dates every week. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until position is filled.

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized

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
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES:

• Exercises independent professional judgment in diagnosing the full range of complex ophthalmic conditions as well as planning and executing the necessary treatment programs to meet complex and frequent changes in treatment objectives.
• Promotes communication/interactions between Eye Clinic team members, patients, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process.
• Provides clinical supervision to residents and senior students if applicable.
• Refers, when indicated, patients with multiple health problems to other providers within the facility and the VISN. Consults with physicians and others, when requested, to augment the care of their patients as it relates to emergent and traumatic conditions as well as ophthalmic manifestations of systemic conditions.
• Utilizes the general clinical privileges which include ordering diagnostic tests as appropriate, writing prescriptions for medications or other items on the hospital formulary.
• Independently exercises creativity in solving problems without direct supervisory guidance to meet the varying needs of patients while under care in the Eye Clinic and assures that a high degree of quality patient care is provided at all times.

Administrative:

• Participates in clinical and administrative committee assignments at the direction of the Chief of Staff/Chief, Surgical Care Line. In addition, the incumbent will attend at least 50% of regularly scheduled Medical Staff meetings.
• Participates in required Performance Improvement programs.
• Follows accepted infection control and safety procedures as well as other station policy procedures.
• Maintains accurate and timely patient medical record entries in Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). Also complies with VHA Privacy Policy (HIPPA) requirements.

Research:

• Participates, where appropriate, in research in basic visual science and clinical optometry to address questions pertaining to anomalies of the human visual system including epidemiological studies, clinical trails and the evaluation of alternative health care delivery systems to enhance patient care.
• Participates in surveys within the Optometry Section under the auspices of the Surgical Care Line to ascertain patient satisfaction of care provided.

Education:

• Participates fully in educational development through staff and section meetings and assumes responsibility for professional development by attending relevant training and regularly reviewing the literature to improve clinical competencies and meeting professional continuing education requirements to maintaining current competence and licensure. Incumbent will attend at least 50% of the regular Medical Staff Meetings.

Work Schedule: Compressed tour will be suggested. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 7:00am-5:30pm. Off on Tuesdays. (subject to change based on agency needs)

Salary : $124,308