Summary You will serve as a Surgical Technician with the Nursing Service of the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center located in Spokane, Washington. Qualified applicants will begin to be referred to the hiring manager on Thursday, December 26, 2024. After that applicants will only be referred to the hiring manager upon request from the hiring manager. This position will remain open to the closing date unless the position is filled, in which case the announcement will be closed. Responsibilities Set 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, and other operating room supplies and equipment. Plan and discuss each procedure with surgical professionals and assure that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Prepare, organize, and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups. Utilize universal precautions and follow all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Assist team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and obtaining supplies, transportation to and from the Operating Room (OR) Handle all specimens appropriately, including labeling, keeping organized on table, and transporting to lab. In conjunction with the circulating Registered Nurse (RN), performs sponge and instrument counts to verify accuracy. Responsible for the accountability for all surgical instruments and equipment during the surgical procedures with sharps and sponges are handled per policy. Assist the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, cutting sutures, prepping prosthesis, and surgical devices, and prepare sterile dressings. Assist 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. Collaborates with RN sub specialists to provide in-services or initiates in-services on own. Provide emotional support and comfort measures specific for each patient to alleviate concerns and fears. Functions as second circulator for complex surgical procedures. Provides breaks/ lunch for OR clerk if needed. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00a to 3:30p (rotating, weekend on-call required). Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD70271A Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are in 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. 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. Work Conditions: Duties are performed in the operating rooms which require special OR attire with regular and recurring exposure to toxic and noxious gases such as: methylmethracrylate, peroxyacetic acid, exposure to x-rays, exposure to blood and body fluids which are often infectious, and laser beams requiring special safety precautions. Appropriate scrub attire is required, including sterile gown and gloves, surgical caps to cover incumbent's hair, and surgical mask in order to provide an aseptic environment in the operating room. The incumbent is often required to wear special attire such as a "space helmet" or hood used during total joint replacements. 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 lead apron as protection from radiation during various procedures. The operating room can be an exceptionally stressful work environment. Good mental and emotional health is required in order to function at an optimum level. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-06 grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. 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. Specialized experience includes: assisting the surgeon during procedures by passing instruments, observing and responding promptly to each stage of the surgical procedures, handling contaminated items, maintaining quality control, operating specialty equipment per manufacturers guidelines, using universal precautions for implementing infection control policies and procedures. Examples of Specialized Experience will include: handle instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical; utilize sterile techniques as per hospital, Operating Room, and Association of peri Operative Registered Nurses (AORN) guidelines; assist the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures, preparation of prosthesis and surgical devices and preparing sterile dressings. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education that is directly related to the duties of the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention Detail Decision Making Decisiveness 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. Education 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. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. 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. 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.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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. Additional Information The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence ("I CARE"). As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless.With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. 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. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. 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. 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.