Optometrist

Summary

We are seeking a Optometrist to join our team in Poplar Bluff, MO. At the VA, your work will carry purpose as you provide care to Veterans while enjoying strong federal benefits and stability. Poplar Bluff, the "Gateway to the Ozarks," combines affordability with abundant outdoor recreation. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties

We are seeking a Optometrist to join our team in Poplar Bluff, MO. At the VA, your work will carry purpose as you provide care to Veterans while enjoying strong federal benefits and stability. Poplar Bluff, the "Gateway to the Ozarks," combines affordability with abundant outdoor recreation. Nearby Mark Twain National Forest and Ozark rivers offer hiking, fishing, and camping opportunities. Families enjoy good schools, healthcare access, and a strong sense of community. Poplar Bluff's central location provides small-town living with natural beauty all around. VA physicians enjoy competitive pay, generous benefits, CME reimbursement, malpractice coverage, retirement plans, and loan repayment opportunities. Predictable schedules and paid leave support your work-life balance. 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) 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 Optometrist Duties will include, but are not limited to: - Document and maintain records pertaining to patients.- Examine, diagnose, and perform specific optometric treatments for conditions of the vision system. - Exercise independent professional judgment in diagnosing the full range of complex optometric conditions as well as planning and executing the necessary treatment programs to meet complex and frequent changes in the treatment objective. - Utilize various examination techniques of vision, eye and related structures to determine the presence of vision anomalies, diseases, and/or other abnormalities; treating eye conditions by prescribing and adapting spectacle lenses, optical aids., etc.; referring patients to other health professionals for further diagnosis and treatments. - Provide emotional support and comfort to patients and their families during treatment interventions. - Manage patient workload within available staffing, which may include support of health technicians. - Coordinate care with VA's tertiary care facilities and VA sharing partners. - Perform the usual administrative components of patient care management, such as: documentation of progress notes and consultation findings in an electronic medical record, electronic entry, and signature of all orders for inpatients and outpatients, etc. - Performs other directly related duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30 pm

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. Optometrist Basic Requirements Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38, United States Code (U.S.C). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). Education. 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. Licensure and Registration. 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 or Comparable Experience. 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: 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 Two years of licensed clinical optometric practice in the United States consisting of active involvement in the management of medically complex patients. Preferred Experience: Three years either at a VA facility or private practice preferred. Grade Determinations: Your pay will be determined by qualifications through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Education

Education. 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 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 Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association, in the list published for the year in which the course of study was completed. Schools (including foreign schools) accepted by the licensing body of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia as qualifying for full or unrestricted licensure. Licensure or Registration. Optometrist (Except Residents). Licensed to practice optometry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Optometrists are required to possess full and unrestricted licensure and to maintain a current registration in their State of licensure if this is a requirement of the particular State. The facility Director may waive this requirement if the optometrist is to serve in a country other than the United States and the optometrist has licensure in that country. Residents. Licensure in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia before completion of the first year of VA residency. Unlicensed residents must meet any registration or other equivalent requirements established for optometric residents of non-VA facilities or optometry clinics with which the VA facility is affiliated for training purposes during the first year of VA residency. Impaired Licensure. An optometrist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed on a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions of cha