Summary Supports surgical teams by preparing and maintaining sterile fields, instruments, supplies, and equipment for complex procedures. Anticipates provider needs, assists with patient positioning, prepping, draping, specimen handling, counts, and room turnover. Follows infection control, safety, sterilization, and patient identification procedures while coordinating with clinical staff to ensure efficient, safe operative care. Responsibilities Major Duties: Demonstrates sufficient knowledge of anatomy and multiple complex surgical procedures to anticipate surgeon needs. Prepares instruments for the full range of surgical procedures. Sets up for the procedure and handles instrumentation. Prepares pathological specimens for appropriate laboratory testing such as permanent, fresh, frozen, and cultures. Performs instrument count, sharps, and sponge counts according to policy. Participates in proper patient identification and surgical site verification using Universal Protocol and Time-Out procedures. Assists coworkers to plan and prepare for surgical procedures using equipment properly and supplies effectively. Participates and contributes to in-service programs pertinent to the care of surgical patients. Coordinates with Environmental Management Services for the cleaning of patient care areas after procedures and educates surgical personnel of environmental sanitation and proper PPE. Complies with Infection Control policies and procedures. Educates surgical personnel on aseptic technique, hand hygiene, and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Reads and adheres to SOPs, directives, policies and regulations to disassemble and prepare for high level disinfection of reusable medical equipment. Performs proper pre-cleaning of instrumentation and prepare instrument sets and case carts for return to SPS. Maintains proper levels of disposable and non-disposable supplies. Ensures that all instruments are maintained in sufficient quantity and in good order. Assists in the selection and purchase of instruments, supplies, and equipment. Assists with training military surgical technology students; answers questions pertaining to surgical procedures; PPE; infection control policies and procedures. Work Schedule: 6:30am-3pm; 9:30am-6pm; 11:30am-8pm; Rotating Weekend Call Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician / PD03450A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 Pre-Employment/Post-Employment Physical Examination: May be required, depending on the needs of the organization 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 identification 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 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 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, 07/10/2026. Individual Occupational Requirement: 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. 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-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: using knowledge of highly technical medical/surgical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect the sterile field during surgery; applying knowledge of sterile technique must include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging storage, and shelf life, also includes the proper cleaning techniques and the @types of detergents to use on various items, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies, handling of contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene; implementing in-Depth knowledge of standard precautions and know how to implement infection control policies and procedures; practicing Knowledge of operation and function of all surgical instruments and equipment, testing procedures to assure all equipment works, and proper postoperative decontamination procedures; understanding the concepts and applicability of the Joint Commission (TJC), Occupational Safety Health and Administration (OSHA). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts Required) NOTE: 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. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts Required) 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: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. 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/.
