Summary The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. The ST demonstrates proficiency in the planning and implementing highly complex procedures and is a content expert is several surgical service lines. The ST performs the scrub role duties and responsibilities under the general supervision of the surgical team. Responsibilities Duties described below are at the full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: 1. Directs and guides nursing assistants and other surgical technicians in completing routine assignments such as setting up rooms, managing equipment and supply carts, and coordinating care with other disciplines. 2. Sets up 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, robotic equipment, and other operating room supplies and devices. 3. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. 4. Participates in interdisciplinary care planning and implementation including pre-procedural verification and timeout. 5. Inspects and ensures instruments, supplies, and implants sterile and free of bio-burden and defects before use in patient care. 6. Practice Infection Control and Sharp Safety Standards. 7. Prepares biological implants according to manufacturers' instructions before transplanting and using on patients. 8. Manages surgical counts, medications, implants, specimens, and surgical asepsis without breach in technique or error. 9. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups. 10. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. 11. Utilizes universal precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. 12. Assists the team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and obtaining supplies and equipment. 13. In conjunction with the circulating Registered Nurse (RN), performs surgical accounting to verify accuracy. Responsible for the accountability for all surgical instruments and equipment during the surgical procedure. 14. Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and surgical devices during procedures. 15. 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. 16. Accounts for the availability of correct prosthetics in the room, follows established procedure regarding implant inventory and prosthetic tracking. 17. Assists in the implementation and utilization of the Generic Inventory Package to maintain adequate surgical supplies. This includes but not limited to re-stocking the OR cabinets, specialty carts, and other secondary storage containers. Work Schedule: Variable Telework: Not eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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-05 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-04 grade level; For a GS-06 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-05 grade level; For a GS-07 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-06 grade level; 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. You may qualify based on your experience and education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: assisting in positioning patients, assisting in managing reusable medical equipment, assisting in bedside procedures, assisting with surgeries, setting up sterile kits, maintaining surgical equipment, etc. GS-05: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level, or successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with courses directly related the Health Technician (Surgical Technician) position, or a combination of education or experience. Examples of specialized experience would be: Assisting in positioning patients. Assisting in managing reusable medical equipment. Assisting in bedside procedures, assisting with surgeries. Setting up sterile kits. Maintaining surgical equipment. OR A 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation for a GS-5; GS-06: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level experience: Assisting with non-complex surgeries. Setting up sterile fields. Training other professionals on equipment. GS-07: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level: Assisting with complex surgeries such as scrubbing hearts or orthopedic surgeries. Setting up sterile fields. Training other professionals on equipment. OR 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. Combining Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying at the GS-5 level. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Oral Communication Patient Care Attention to Detail 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, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy accessibility of instruments and supplies for the surgeon. The surgical technician 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. 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. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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 This occupation is being considered for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive (CSI). Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI. The amount of lump sum CSI is determined based on appointment date and may be pro-rated as determined by the end date of the CSI. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.