Optometrist Designated Education Officer

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The Designated Education Officer (DEO) is frequently known as the Associate Chief of Staff for Education (ACOS-E) is the designated VAMC employee who has oversight responsibility for all health professions training at the VAMC. The DEO receives guidance on Health Professions Education (HPE) program requirements from the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA).

Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provides oversight to identify evaluate and mitigate risk of injury to HPTs (Health Professions Trainee) patients staff and visitors in collaboration with facility Occupational Health and Patient Safety.
• Reviews and ensures that minimal qualifications and credentials are met by HPTs coming to VA for academic programs as attested to by the Trainee Qualifications Certification Verification Letter (TQCVL).
• Interacts with affiliated institutions as appropriate on matters pertaining to HPT assignments and curricula and on evaluation of the VA medical facility as a training site.
• Acts as a consultant to other VA medical facility staff on educational matters and interpreting policies according to VA requirements; provides comprehensive support to residency and training program and site directors.
• Acts as the liaison with the sponsoring institutions Designated Institution Officer (DIO) and other education leaders in the academic programs of education and research.
• Advocates for sufficient VA resources for appropriate management of HPE programs.
• Exercises oversight and administration of all clinical training programs at the VA medical facility and ensures compliance with all pertinent requirements and program accreditation standards. This oversight responsibility includes fiscal matters affiliation and disbursement agreements programmatic accreditation credentials of HPTs appointment and payment of HPT stipends.
• Establishes local procedures for Educational Activity Record (EAR) keeping and disbursement including training reconcile invoices submitting rate schedules and reimbursing affiliates in a timely manner.
• Works closely with OAA to expand programs collect and report data and obtain guidance for unusual circumstances.
• Reviews and signs appropriate Program Letters of Agreement prepared by the affiliated institution.
• Manages special situations and issues pertaining to HPTs and advising the VA facility Director and the program director of the affiliated institution (or VA-sponsored program) concerning HPT competence conduct and compliance with VA regulations and policy.
• Ensures that all VA-sponsored programs maintain accreditation collaborating with VA program director(s) on reporting site visits and making timely payments to match organizations and/or certifying bodies.
• Assigns work to staff in the HPE service.

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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.

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

• 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. AND
• 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. AND
• Optometrists must possess a current full and unrestricted license to practice optometry and maintain a current 1 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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation under a permanent appropriate and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all basic requirements for the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees are considered to have met the basic qualification requirements for the purposes of transferring or reassignment to another Optometrist position within VA. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re entry to the occupation. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional certification that meet all the basic or assignment-specific qualification requirements of this standard must maintain the required credential as a condition of employment in the assignment.

1. Outstanding professional ability in the practice of optometry and healthcare administration.
2. The ability to guide the development and implementation of programs within their respective domain to include but not limited to optometry practice professional standards personnel issues quality and performance improvement.
3. Effectiveness in coordinating and managing interdisciplinary collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders to optimize the care of patients under their purview.