The Surgical Technician provides assistance to the surgeons and other team members during a variety of surgical procedures and participates with the surgical team in planning and implementing complex surgical procedures/processes. This is an open continuous announcement until December 31, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2024. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. Selective Placement Factor: must possess experience in an operating room environment preparing, organizing, and maintaining complex sterile set ups or experience via training in a CST program. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience as a Surgical Technician in Operating Room in a hospital or ambulatory care setting responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures; plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure and sets up sterile field with all required items for each procedure. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Technical Competence Infection Control Medical Information Attention to detail 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. Physical Requirements: Work involves risks typically associated with performance laboratory work. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions. The work is primarily standing and walking, bending, lifting, and carrying heavy items. The work requires above average agility and dexterity. The work may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients. 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/. ["Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Receives requests or instructions for procedures and interprets requests or instructions for medical health care personnel; Handles instruments, supplies, and equipment during surgical procedures such as open heart, thoracic, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, and total joint replacement surgery; Secures patients' confidence and cooperation during procedures, explains procedures, positions patients for desired results, and cushions and shields patients as appropriate; Administers drugs under close control; Operates and maintains medical instruments and equipment for diagnostic and treatment procedures; Sets up the sterile field with all required items for each procedure such as air powered equipment, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, etc.; Observes and responds promptly to each stage of a surgical procedure, anticipating the needs of the surgeon; Performs a range of diagnostic support duties such as taking, recording and reporting to the supervisor deviations in vital signs, taking specimens, and labeling specimens for the laboratory; Manages administrative functions of an office; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, day shift (possible hours to include 7a-3:30p, 7a-5:30p or 9a-7:30p with on call required weekends, weeknights, holidays Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PD92107-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.