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.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during a variety of surgical procedures performed in all surgical sub-specialties/procedures; includes general surgery, urological surgery, vascular surgery, ENT surgery, orthopedic/podiatry surgery and ophthalmological surgery.
• Sets-up sterile field with required items for each procedure.
• Participates in official time out with surgical team and ensures correct site, correct procedure, correct laterality, correct patient, position, and all testing results are in place; verifies sterility and dates of implants per Veterans' Health Administration (VHA) Directive.
• Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure.
• Observes and responds promptly to each state of surgical procedure and anticipates needs of the surgeon.
• Utilizes universal precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures.
• Assists team members with care of the patient.
• Handles all specimens appropriately.

Training

• Assists in training residents, medical students, nursing students, operating room technology students and new Operating Room (OR) staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and OR procedures.

Other OR/Surgical Duties:

• Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment.
• Maintains safe/clean work environment.
• Provides patient information to Registered Nurse (RN)/Anesthesia Team for inclusion in patient's plan of care; supports healthcare team through reinforcement of patient education; organizes/prioritizes patient care activities.
• Assists in answering telephones and relaying messages.
• Adheres to Veterans' Administration (VA) nursing policies, procedures, and standards; delivers care to patients in respectful, non-judgmental manner; maintains patient privacy/confidentiality; sets limits within the surgical team (ST)/patient relationship.
• Recognizes changes in patient condition including emergencies, perioperatively and takes appropriate actions in response to patient emergent situation.
• Recognizes potentially hazardous situations e.g. frayed cords, water on floor, and takes corrective action.
• Reports unsafe equipment and working conditions to appropriate individuals.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Varying shifts with alternating schedules. Includes an on-call status and may include some weekends and holidays.
Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD12902-A
Physical Requirements and Work Environment: Duties regularly require manual assistance in lifting, and positioning patients, most of which are in 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. Duties are performed in the operating rooms (ORs) which require special OR attire with regular and recurring exposure to toxic and noxious gases such as methylmethracrylate, peroxyacetic acid, exposure to x-rays, exposure to blood and body fluids which are often infectious, and laser beams requiring special safety precautions.

Appropriate scrub attire is required to provide an aseptic environment. The incumbent is often required to wear protective attire such as eye wear, hoods during total joint replacements, appropriate laser glasses when working with lasers and must frequently wear a lead apron as protection from radiation during various procedures.

The operating room can be an exceptionally stressful work environment. Good mental and emotional health is required to function at an optimum level.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• 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
• 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 dentification 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)
• 5 CFR 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies.
• Work schedule of selected applicants may include an on-call component.
• In accordance with 5 CFR 330-502 a 90 day general restriction on movement applies for the Direct Hire Authority ONLY.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

An Individual Occupational Requirement must be met by all applicants applying for GS 4 and above:

All applicants for the Surgical Technician, GS-0640-07 must meet this Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR) for further consideration:

• Specialized Experience (for positions GS-04 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that requires application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.
• In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), for GS-07, all applicants must meet 1 year of creditable, specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics in or related to the work of this position, equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-06. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to providing assistance to a surgical team during surgical procedures; utilizing knowledge of highly technical medical instruments, human anatomy and aseptic technique to prepare and protect the sterile field during surgery; functioning as primary scrub person handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures; preparing, organizing, and maintaining highly complex sterile surgical set-up; observing and responding to each state of a surgical procedure to anticipate the needs of the surgeon; handling specimens appropriately, cleaning and decontaminating instruments before and after procedures. Note: Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements; OR,
• 1 full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-07. Courses must be directly related to the position. Note: 1 year of full-time graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If this information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study. When substituting education for specialized experience, a transcript (s) must submitted with the application packet.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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)
• License
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Documents Required:

• Resume

RESUME REMINDER: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

• Job title
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Series and grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions held

Please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

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.

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.

Next steps