The Surgical Technician is a member of the surgical team and assists 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

The Surgical Technician functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures. The incumbent's duties include but are not limited to: Set up sterile field with all required items for each procedure. Plan and discuss each procedure with surgical professionals and assure all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Prepare, organize, and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups. Observe and promptly respond to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipate the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Utilize universal precautions and follow all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Perform sponge and instrument counts to verify accuracy. Assist the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Assist in training residents, medical and 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. Function as second circulator for complex surgical procedures. Perform non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions. Maintain OR area. Assess equipment needs and maintain adequate stock of supplies and materials. Recognize potentially hazardous situations and take corrective actions. Assist surgical team members in quality improvement activities. Work Schedule: Rotational Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD60069A 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel.(HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement for Health Aid and Technician Series (0640): 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 addition to the IOR, candidates must also meet one of the following requirements: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-06) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Working in an operating room and setting up a sterile field with all required items for surgical procedures (i.e., air-powered equipment, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other operating room (OR) supplies and equipment, etc.) Using proper sterilization and cleaning techniques on instruments and equipment. Assisting surgeon by performing such procedures such as skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Maintaining operating room area. Assessing equipment needs and maintain adequate stock of supplies and materials. **The preferred candidate would have completed Surgical Technician School or an equivalent.** OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: At grades GS-5 and above, a portion of the education is usually directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of related courses are provided in the individual occupational requirements where applicable. However, agencies may require other courses if they are considered to be more related to the position to be filled. NOTE: 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. OR Combination of Experience & Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equal combination of specialized experience and graduate education. (Transcripts Required).***PLEASE 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. Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e., the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed under SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (Qualifications section). Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title, and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position Technical Competence Team Work Work Practices 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

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 James H Quillen VA Medical Center Corner of Lamont Street and Veterans Way Mountain Home, TN 37684 US
• Name: Caitlin Clabough
• Email: [email protected]