This position serves as 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 planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/10/2023. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. Individuals Occupational Requirements: Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements: 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 meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) requirements, applicants must also meet the specialized experience directly related to this position. GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 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: Controls pathology care and handling of specimens correctly are essential for prevention of damage to or loss of specimens and eventual diagnosis. Analyzes highly technical medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect the sterile field during surgery. Conducts proper storage of instruments and supplies to maintain sterility. Maintains operations and function of all surgical instruments and equipment, testing procedures to assure all equipment works, and proper postoperative decontamination procedures. Corresponds with medical terminology to be able to understand written and verbal requests of procedures. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Inspection Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Patient Care Technical Competence 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: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of who are at stages of unconsciousness. There are extensive periods of regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy accessibility of instruments and supplies for the surgeon. The position requires dexterous in passing instruments to surgeons without compromising principles of aseptic technique and in a manner requiring little or no effort from the surgeon. 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/. ["This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the AFGE Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: 1st Area of Consideration - Current Facility and CBOC employees; 2nd Area of Consideration - VA Nationwide applicants; 3rd Area of Consideration - Other Status candidates Duties include but are not limited to: Assists the team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and obtaining supplies. Utilizes universal precautions and follows infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Provides guidance and support to Nursing Assistants and other Surgical Technicians. 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 stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a level of concentration for extended periods of time. Handles all specimen appropriately. Assesses equipment needs and maintain adequate stock of supplies and materials. Assists in developing and maintaining appropriate and cost-saving inventory prices. Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions. Independently functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical and specialized surgical procedures. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical set-ups. Sets up sterile field with all required items for each procedure Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday rotating tours (6:00am-2:30pm, 6:30am-3:00pm, 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:30am-5:00pm, and 09:30am-6:00p), based on organizational needs. Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD08361A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
