Summary
The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the surgical team and participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgeon and registered nurse; possesses expertise in theory and application of sterile and aseptic technique and combines the knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures and implementation tools and technologies to facilitate a surgeons performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.
Clarification from the agency
ALL US CITIZENS.
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Duties
- Functions as a primary scrub person on all surgical procedures, handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures such as thoracic, vascular, orthopedic, EENT, etc.
- Under the supervision o the RN, assists in circulating functions, i.e., performing instrument and sponge counts and accounting for surgical instruments and equipment during surgical procedures and gathers and communicates technical data to the RN
- Practices principals of sterile techniques, preparing instrumentations independently and without direct supervision, utilizing aseptic techniques
- Observes, identifies, and immediately corrects a break in sterile techniques by any member of the operating team, e.g., interacts with numerous health care personnel and all levels of students, including those who have no knowledge of aseptic/ sterile techniques)
- Sets up sterile field with all required items, i.e. air-powered, endoscopic, laparoscopic, arthroscopic, urologic equipment, microscopes, drills, staplers, etc
- May teach or assist in training aseptic technique to other service techs (radiology), dental, SPD
- Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures; handles specimens appropriately
- Anticipates, detects, and responds to deviations from normal in patients, which can result in an emergent situation; observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time
- Performs patient care as directed/assigned (i.e., patients according to protocol); transports patients to and from the Operating Room using safe transport techniques; Provides basic nursing care for patients undergoing procedures while maintaining patients dignity and privacy
- Transports patients pre-operatively and post-operatively and procedure needed supplies, drugs, blood, reports and equipment
- Communicates and interacts appropriately with adults, geriatric patients and visitors displaying courteous, compassionate, caring, and respectful behavior when interacting with all others (staff, students, etc.)
-Remain calm during stressful situations and utilizes proper channels of communication, i.e., follows chain of command
- Participates in the preoperative role by evaluating the needs of the surgical patient and assisting in patient positioning and preparation of specialized support equipment necessary for the most complex surgical procedure
- Anticipates, recognizes, and resolves unfamiliar situations or deviations from standard protocol, policies, procedures, (e.g., completed informed consent, availability of specific equipment, adjusting from on hip replacement systems that has 300 components to another system with 400 or more components)
- Identifies and /or takes action to correct actual or potential safety hazard concerning infection control, equipment malfunction, (e.g., when setting up complex computerized systems such as endoscopy tower), remaining cognizant of deviations that could be potentially hazardous to the patient
- Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical set-ups
- Actively participates with RN in developing a plan to meet the needs and expectations fo the various surgical teams
- Demonstrates self-composure and effective interpersonal skills, when relating/communicating with divers personalities, difficult situations, etc. Plans and discusses surgical procedures with the surgical team and ensures all needed supplies and equipment are available
- Identifies, initiates, and implements new preference cards/ new Case Care Systems, working independently with SPD, following policies and procedures, (e.g., when new procedures are performed personnel are able to project possible equipment , specialty instruments that might be utilized and are able to assimilate that knowledge and set up case carts, which entails identifying expendable soft goods, instrument sets, technological support, etc.)
- Utilizes appropriate assistive devices (i.e., lifts, transfer devices, other personnel) to promote safety of patients and personnel; assumes responsibility for unit preventive maintenance by cleaning, maintaining, and reporting malfunctions in equipment, workstations, and patient care areas to the registered nurse
Work Schedule:7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD07661A
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2024.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.
An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service that has provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and ability to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician. Specialized experience is experience assisting a surgical team with/during surgical procedures. Examples of specialized experience include: scrubbing for/during surgeries; preparing patients for surgery; setting up equipment and surgical instrumentation; preparing sterile surgical set-ups; handling instruments, supplies and/or equipment during surgical procedures; anticipating the needs of the surgeon and responding promptly; performing sponge and instrument counts; and exercising accountability of all surgical instruments and equipment during surgical procedure.
NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required only if it is directly related to the work of the position (Surgical Technician). One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for this level. An equivalent combination of experience and education as described above may be used to qualify.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Critical Thinking
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
- Developing Others
- Flexibility
- Infection Control
- Problem Solving
- Specimen Collection
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Preferred Experience: Certification through AST Preferred, but not required.
Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are stages of unconsciousness. There are extensive periods of regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy accessibility of instruments and supplies for the surgeon. Incumbent must 'be dexterous in passing instruments to surgeons without compromising principles of aseptic technique and in a manner requiring little or no effort from the surgeon .For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Education
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Certification through AST
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Documents Required:
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
- SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/30/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12287910.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
|