Health Technician Program Coordinator (Ophthalmology)

The Surgical Care Service is seeking a full-time Health Technician Program Coordinator (Ophthalmology) for the VA Medical Center in Charleston South Carolina. Ophthalmology Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) support Ophthalmologists in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, follow-up care and patient counselling.

Qualifications:

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.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.
• Certification. All applicants must be certified as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) with the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). The COA certification is JCAHPO's entry-level certification examination for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology).
• English Language Proficiency. Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 38 U.S.C. 7407(d).

Experience and Education

• (1) Experience. One year of experience in a health care field, such as but not limited to nursing, medical assistant, or health technician.-OR-
• (2) Education. Two years above high school with a minimum of six semester hours directly related to a health care field or associate's degree in a health care related degree.-OR-
• (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples are listed below:
• (a) Six months of experience in the health care field; and one year above high school. -OR-
• (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or ophthalmology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces. -OR-
• (c) Six months of experience in the health care field and completion of an independent study course in Ophthalmic Medical Assisting.

Grade Determinations:

• GS-11 Grade Requirement: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-10 grade level.

-AND-

• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.
• 1. Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance, plan, organize, and coordinate activities of a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) in order to effectively complete job duties of assignment such as distributing workload, monitoring the status and progress of work, monitoring accuracy of work, etc.
• 2. Ability to communicate effectively in order to meet program objectives. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels.
• 3. Ability to assist in Health Technician (Ophthalmology) development, outcome management, and strategic planning.
• 4. Ability to act as liaison between Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) to resolve informal employee complaints and concerns.

Loss of Credentials. A Health Technician (Ophthalmology) who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment.
Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
Preferred Experience: Training experience, VA administrative experience, and VA lead or supervisor experience.
References: VA Handbook 5005/98, Part II, Appendix G52, Health Technician (Ophthalmology) Qualifications Standards
Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

Responsibilities:

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• The Program Coordinator serves as the second-level supervisor for the Eye Section's ophthalmic health technician workforce, providing direct supervision to three (3) supervisory Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) who manage approximately 31 ophthalmic health technicians distributed across the main medical center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) throughout South Carolina and southeastern Georgia.
• Full responsibility for managing the day-to-day activities of the Eye Section across all locations and supervises all phases of the facility ophthalmology specialty program. These duties include but are not limited to second-level supervision and personnel management; operational management and program coordination; provider-technician liaison; clinical protocol development and standardization; quality improvement activities; competency assessment and clinical training; equipment management; patient care coordination; and participation in approved research projects as applicable.
• Responsible for the overall technical and administrative oversight of operations within the Ophthalmology program area to include coordination with multidisciplinary team members, as well as liaison with other sections that support ophthalmology care, such as Nursing Service, Telephone Care, Sterile Processing Service, Pharmacy, Infection Control, Surgery Service Administrative Staff, and facility leadership.
• Participates as an instructor in clinical training and provides preceptorship and mentorship of personnel;
• Evaluates new products and equipment and makes recommendations concerning developments which would improve operations
• Manages ophthalmic equipment inventory, preventive maintenance schedules, and equipment replacement planning across all ophthalmology locations

Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday *Subject to change based on agency needs.
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: FS 60936
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Salary : $74,678