The Surgical Technician is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. These positions are located at the VA Medical Center in Little Rock, AR. The Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing the complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties included, but are not limited to the following: Functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures such as: open heart, thoracic, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, and total joint replacement surgery; Ensures all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure; 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, urological equipment, recording devices, and other operating room supplies and equipment; Prepares and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups; 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; Utilizes universal precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures; Assists with the sponge and instruments counts; 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; Assists in training residents and students; Functions as second circulator for complex surgical procedures; Assesses and maintains adequate stock of supplies, materials, and performs non-technical maintenance of equipment; Provides guidance and support to Nursing Assistants and other Surgical Technicians; Supervises volunteers, aides, students, and non-surgical team members recognizes and takes corrective action regarding potentially hazardous situations; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday (including weekends and holidays); 6:15am to 2:45pm, 8:00am to 4:30pm, or 10:00am to 6:30pm. Tour of duty is subject to change based on needs of the Agency. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ In addition to the English Language Proficiency requirement, to qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 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. Specialized experience includes utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; assisting the surgical team with patient positioning, prepping, and setting up the operative field; preparing prosthesis and/or surgical devices during procedures; utilizing knowledge of direct patient care techniques, including activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulating patients, infection control, and emergency response; utilizing medical terminology when interpreting requests and providing proper documentation for surgical procedures; recognizing changes in patient condition and taking appropriate actions in response to the situation; and understanding and following protocols for handling various specimens NOTE: 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. ~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. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ COMBINATION: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. 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 as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to DetailCommunicationsManages and Organizes InformationQuality AssuranceSpeaking IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are 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 person in this position must be dexterous in passing instruments to surgeons without compromising principles of aseptic technique and in the manner requiring little or no effort from the surgeons. 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, glutaraldehyde, exposure to x-rays, and pure oxygen, exposure to blood and body fluids which are often infectious, and laser beams requiring special safety precautions. 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

IMPORTANT: 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 John L McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital 4300 West Seventh Street Little Rock, AR 72205 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]