The Surgical Technician is a member of the surgical team and aids the surgeon and other team members in the Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System (NWIHCS) Omaha Hospital Operating Room Department (Omaha, NE) to plan and implement complex surgical procedures under the general direction of the surgeon and Registered Nurse.

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 include but may not be limited to: Provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. Functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment. Prepares, organizes and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical team to ensure all supplies and equipment are available prior to surgical procedures. Provides guidance and support to professional staff during surgical procedures. Understands the proper procedure and safety precautions for disinfecting surgical instruments. Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions. Recognizes potentially hazardous situations and takes corrective action. Assesses equipment needs and maintains adequate stock of supplies and materials. Work Schedule: Fulltime, Mon - Fri 7:00-3:30 or 7:00-5:30 with evening, weekend and holiday call obligations Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be offered to highly qualified candidates

Requirements

Qualifications

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. QUALIFICATIONS To apply for this position, you must have the following 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 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience for GS-04: You must have 6 months of general experience plus 6 months of specialized experience. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Having knowledge of medical instrument. Having knowledge of human anatomy. Having knowledge of physiology. Having knowledge of Sterile Fields. Having knowledge of aseptic technique to prepare and protect a sterile field during surgery. OR Education GS-04: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. OR COMBINATION: You must have a combination of general/specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable and transcripts are required at the time of application. Specialized Experience for GS-05: You must have 1 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Providing direct patient care in a hospital/medical/surgical facility. Setting up sterile fields. Assisting health care providers in surgery for a variety of procedures. Following universal precautions for infection control. And understanding and using proper medical terminology. OR Education GS-05: 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: You must have a combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable and transcripts are required at the time of application. Specialized Experience for GS-06: You must have 1 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Preparing sterile fields for surgical procedures. Monitoring and maintaining aseptic techniques throughout surgical procedures. Handling medical instruments, supplies, and equipment during surgical procedures. Performing proper cleaning techniques. Handling and rotation of sterile supplies. Properly handling contaminated items applying knowledge of universal precautions. And implementing infection control policies and procedures. OR Education for GS-06: Must have successfully completed one-half year of graduate education (9 semester hours or equivalent), or an internship in course matter with a major that included courses directly related to the work of the Health Technician position. OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education for GS-06: Must have an equivalent combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience to meet the total experience requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to DetailInfection ControlMedical InformationPatient CareTechnical Competence 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 who are at 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 ST 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/.

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 VA Nebraska-Western Iowa HCS - Omaha 4101 Woolworth Avenue Omaha, NE 68105 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]