The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the Huntington VA Health Care Surgical Team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. The surgical technician should always maintain a safe environment for patients and communicate effectively to the surgical team.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Keeps other staff informed of patient needs and assists in determining proper course of action. Participates as a team member in assigned rooms assisting in all aspects of preparation and breakdown of surgical procedures. Communicates with team members and customers to establish good working relationships and to meet their needs. Anticipates and assures availability of equipment, supplies, and instruments for assigned surgical procedures. Observes all aspects of the sterile field. Aids in positioning the patient on operating room table properly using positioning and safety equipment to avoid harm. Correctly labels all medications and irrigations in sterile field and verbally confirms when passing to surgeon. Maintains a high state of sterile vigilance from the initiation through the final tear down. Participates in surgical counts with full attention to the counting process. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-330pm, with on call (9am-530pm) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD20100A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2023. 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-04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03. 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/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1) 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. 2) Maintains equipment related to assigned procedures in good working order, checking before and after each procedure. Ensures that all instruments are intact prior to and post use. 3) Dons appropriate OR attire and personal protective equipment. Appropriately uses PPE and is cognizant of the safety needs of others. Ensures that all dirty instruments are properly prepared, stored and labeled for transportation to the decontamination area. 4) Anticipates and assures availability of equipment, supplies, and instruments for assigned surgical procedure. 5) 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.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and a Bachelor's degree or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. GS-05 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: assisting with the preparation and protection of sterile fields during surgery; reviewing and testing instruments and equipment prior to procedures to ensure equipment works; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during surgical procedures; assisting team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and transportation to and from the OR. OR, Education: Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the Surgical Technician position such as anatomy and physiology, surgical technology, aseptic techniques, etc. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. GS-06 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: 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; assisting team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and transportation to and from the OR. OR, Education: Successfully 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. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. 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, but is not limited to: utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; exercising sterile technique to include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging, storage, and shelf life; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during all 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; properly handling specimens to prevent the loss or damage of specimens and eventual diagnosis. OR, Education: Successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate education (18 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. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ConscientiousnessInfection ControlMedical InformationStress Tolerance

Education

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 which are stages of unconsciousness. There are 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.

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/.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Huntington VA Medical Center 1540 Spring Valley Drive Huntington, WV 25704 US
• Name: Tanya Lopez
• Phone: 2157649975
• Email: [email protected]