Summary
The Surgical Technician (ST) (Operating Room) is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. The Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team.
This job is open to
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
The Surgical Technician functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures. This position will be located in the Operating Room (OR), which performs surgical procedures including general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, cardiothoracic, vascular, podiatry, plastic surgery, orthopedics, urology, neurosurgery, etc. The incumbent's duties include but are not limited to:
- Assists the surgical team with patient positioning, prepping, and setting up the operative field.
- Provides transportation of patients to and from the surgical/operating room.
- Recognizes changes in patient condition and takes appropriate actions in response to the situation
- Provides guidance and support to staff regarding infection control and patient safety protocol.
- Provides emotional support to patients before, during and after surgery
- Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals to determine proper
positioning and assurances of all supplies/equipment are available
- Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning,
holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures.
- Prepares prosthesis and/or surgical devices during procedures.
- Assists in training staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of
instruments, and operating room/surgical procedures.
- Utilizes medical terminology when interpreting requests and provide proper documentation
for surgical procedures.
- Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups.
- Utilizes universal precautions to protect patients and staff from exposure to any infectious
materials.
- Follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and
equipment.
- Monitors and maintains sterile practices throughout surgical procedures.
- Cleans and sterilizes surgical equipment using appropriate methods, germicides and
sterilizers.
- Handles instruments, supplies and equipment during a variety of surgical procedures.
- Sets up sterile field with all required items (equipment, instruments, supplies and/or devices)
for each procedure.
- Anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for
extended periods of time.
- Understands and follows protocols for handling various specimens.
- Performs sharps, sponge, and instrument counts of surgical items before and after surgical
procedures.
- Assists surgical team members to identify and implement performance improvement
measures.
- Monitors proper functioning of instruments and equipment at the surgical field.
- Determines the effectiveness of sterilization, packing, storage, and shelf life.
- Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure.
Work Schedule: based on the needs of the service
Telework: Not Available
Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician (Operating Room)/PD6637A
Physical Requirements: The work requires providing 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 eff ort from the surgeon.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
- Subject to a background/suitability investigation
- Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
- May serve a probationary period
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Participation in the seasonal influenza 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.
Individual Occupational Requirement for Health Aid and Technician Series (0640): 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 required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.
In addition to the IOR, candidates must also meet one of the following requirements:
Specialized Experience GS-07: 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 and other characteristics to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician. Specialized experience includes experience assisting a surgical team with/during surgical procedures, utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; exercising sterile technique to include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging, storage, and shelf life; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures; performing proper cleaning techniques, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies; handling contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene, using knowledge of universal precautions and implementing infection control policies and procedures. NOTE: 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.
OR
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
OR
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equal combination of specialized experience and graduate education. (RESUME AND TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED).
Preferred Experience: Candidate will possess 2 years surgical technician and cardiothoracic surgery experience. Basic Life Support (BLS) is required and Certified Surgical Technician preferred for this position.
To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Required Documents
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
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.
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.
How to Apply
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 06/24/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12431381.
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.
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