Optometrist

<p>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.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>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)</p><h3>Requirements</h3>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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.<h3>Education</h3>Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated. NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.