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 Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team.

Duties

Duties, but not limited to: Assists the surgical team with patient positioning, prepping, and setting up the operative field. Provides transportation of patients to and from the surgical/operating room. Recognizes changes in patient condition and takes appropriate actions in response to the situation. Provides guidance and support to staff regarding infection control and patient safety protocol. Provides emotional support to patients before, during and after surgery. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals to determine proper positioning and assurances of all supplies/equipment are available. Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and/or surgical devices during procedures. Assists in training staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and operating room/surgical procedures. Utilizes medical terminology when interpreting requests and provide proper documentation for surgical procedures. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups. Utilizes universal precautions to protect patients and staff from exposure to any infectious materials. Follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Monitors and maintains sterile practices throughout surgical procedures. Cleans and sterilizes surgical equipment using appropriate methods, germicides and sterilizers. Handles instruments, supplies and equipment during a variety of surgical procedures. Sets up sterile field with all required items (equipment, instruments, supplies and/or devices) for each procedure. Anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Understands and follows protocols for handling various specimens. Performs sharps, sponge, and instrument counts of surgical items before and after surgical procedures. Assists surgical team members to identify and implement performance improvement measures. Monitors proper functioning of instruments and equipment at the surgical field. Determines the effectiveness of sterilization, packing, storage, and shelf life. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure. All other duties assigned by management Work Schedule: Weekdays/Weekends, 7:00am to 3:30pm OR 7:00am to 5:30pm. On-Call required. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Surgical Technician)/PD11576A 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. 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

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. There position has an Individual Occupational Requirement for the GS-0640 series. Specialized Experience: 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. In an addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement you must meet the specialized experience listed below. Specialized Experience GS-07: 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 me the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician. Specialized experience includes but 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. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Working Environment: Duties are performed in the operating rooms which require special OR attire with regular and recurring exposure to toxic and noxious gases that may include Cidex OPA, exposure to x-rays, pure oxygen, to blood and body fluids, and laser beams requiring special safety precautions. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address Eastern Colorado HCS Denver 13611 E. Colfax Ave Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: Melissa Rodriguez
• Phone: 702-791-9000 X15984
• Email: [email protected]