The Pathways Internship Program allows students to join VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development. The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Salt Lake City VA Medical Center. Incumbents will be given opportunities to function as a member of the surgical team and provide assistance to the surgeon during surgical procedures in alignment with the competencies learned in the academic setting and validated by VA staff in the peri-operative setting.

Duties

This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program. The program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides managers a ready source of student employees and potential permanent employees upon completion of the program requirements. It also provides the student with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals while offering eligibility for non-competitive conversion to permanent employment upon completion. For more information on Internship opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit: https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/pathways-internship-program/. Duties include, but are not limited to: The position is responsible for functioning Surgical Scrub under the supervision of a Health Technician (Surgical) or Operating Room Registered Nurse and is responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during surgical procedures such as; ENT Procedures, Plastics, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, general surgery, open-heart, thoracic, Robotic and total joint replacement. Under the Direction of a member of the surgical team Student Trainee will set up sterile field, discusses plans for each procedure with surgical professionals, Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex surgical set-ups, Observes and responds to each stage of the surgical procedure and to anticipate the needs of the surgeon, Utilizes universal precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures, assist surgical team members with care of the patient positions, prepping and obtaining supplies, Handles all specimens under the guidance of surgical team member, under supervision of surgical team member performs sponge and instrument counts to verify accuracy and assists the surgeon by performing procedures such as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures as well as preparing prosthesis and surgical devices. May rotate to Sterile Processing and Decontamination when needed. Performs other duties as assigned. 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, Intermittent

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/29/2023. Internship Program: To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: GS-03: Completion of 1 academic year of post-high school study GS-04: Completion of 2 academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree GS-05: Completion of 4 years of post-high school education leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AdaptabilityInfection ControlInterpersonal SkillsLearningPhysical StrengthTeamworkVeteran and Customer Focus 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: Duties require extensive periods of sitting, standing, and walking. Working with patients requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, pushing, stretching and similar activities. The incumbent will be able to rotate to all tours and on occasion, be reassigned to any nursing sections. Must be able to accommodate varying schedules and workload within established regulatory parameters. The incumbent must be able to physically lift a minimum of 35 pounds.

Education

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA SALT LAKE CITY HCS 500 Foothill Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84148 US
• Name: Matthew Phillips
• Phone: (360) 696-4061 X39039
• Email: [email protected]