Summary The Surgical Technician 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 including surgeons, anesthesia providers, registered nurses, and other members of an operating room team in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team. Responsibilities Major duties include but not limited to: Prepare and maintain sterile field with all required items for each procedure such as, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other operating room supplies and equipment. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Provide surgical scrub on all procedures, including minor and major surgeries. Prepares, organizes and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups which include but are not limited to Orthopedic (total joint replacement), Neuro (craniotomies tumors/ aneurysms, laminectomies, fusions), Cardiothoracic (open heart surgery), Vascular (Open surgical repair with vascular stent graft), Robotic procedures (Genitourinary, Gynecological, and General); Bariatric, General Surgery (colorectal); Plastic procedures, Podiatry procedures, LASER technology for various surgical services and/or ENT/ Ophthalmic procedures; all of which require knowledge of complex specialty instruments, equipment and supplies unique to each of the surgical services. Utilizes standard precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Assists the team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, transporting, prepping, draping and obtaining supplies. Handles all specimens appropriately. Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and Surgical devices during procedures. 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 to include the scrub role in surgical procedures. Functions as the second circulator for complex surgical procedures. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Various work schedules based on the needs of the unit Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/12805-A Physical Requirements and Work Environment: 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 at least 50lbs, 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 and other procedural areas which require special OR attire with regular and recurring exposure to toxic and noxious gases such as: methylmethracrylate, glutaraldehyde, exposure to x-rays, and pure oxygen, exposure to blood and body fluids which are often infectious, and laser beams requiring special safety precautions. Appropriate scrub attire is required per the facility policy, including sterile gown and gloves, surgical caps and facial hair coverings to cover incumbent's hair, shoe covers, and surgical mask in order to provide an aseptic environment in the operating room. Incumbent must wear protective eyewear such as goggles or face shield to prevent inadvertent splash injuries to his or her eyes. Appropriate laser glasses must be worn when working with lasers. Incumbent must frequently wear a 20-30 pound lead apron as protection from radiation during various procedures. The operating room can be an exceptionally stressful work environment and the incumbent must be able to provide a high level of care, even when under pressure. Good mental and emotional health is required in order to function at an optimum level. Requirements 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 Physical Requirements: A pre-placement physical examination is required. 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Applicants may qualify for this position by meeting all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The Health Aid and Technician Series 0640 has a minimum qualification entry requirement: Specialized Experience: 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. AND, You may qualify based on your experience and/or education for the GS-6 grade level as described below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: assisting with the preparation and protection of sterile fields during surgery; monitoring and maintaining aseptic techniques throughout surgical procedures; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during 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. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed one-half year of graduate education (9 semester hours) or an internship in course matter that must include courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position such as anatomy and physiology, surgical technology, aseptic techniques, etc. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Note: 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 two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-6. 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. 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/. tion at this grade level. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
