The Surgical Health Technician is assigned to the Podiatry Outpatient Clinic which is organizationally responsible to the Podiatric Division of the Department of Surgery. Works under the general supervision of the Chief, Podiatry Section, which has in-excess of 28,000 patient encounters per year, to include direct and indirect support.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to the following: Sets up and assists Podiatric surgeons and other providers in the performance of treatments and procedures following aseptic technical to include minor surgical procedures. Reviews patient charts for verification of identity and proper documentation including surgical consent following site and procedure verification process. Responsible for setup of equipment for all procedures including excisional biopsies, tissue removal, incisions and drainage of abscesses, and amputations. During these procedures, incumbent is responsible for the proper functioning of the equipment used during the process and through procedure completion. Incumbent cleans and replaces all surgical equipment. Secures the confidence and cooperation of patients during various surgical procedures; position patients in the surgical outpatient clinic, urgent care, and/or procedure room positioning patient, along with utilizing specialized surgical instrumentation. Independently explains procedures and positions patients for a variety of difficult invasive surgical interventions and other treatments as necessitated. Notifies appropriate staff of test/procedure results and ensures they are made part of the medical record. Answers patient's questions before, during, and/or after procedures. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8AM to 4:30 PM Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD00748-A and PD00749-A Physical Requirements: The position includes physical exertion such as regular and recurring walking, stooping, bending, reaching and lifting of equipment and supplies, lifting and positioning of patient limbs and/or patients(average 150 lbs adult male) with assistive devices, such as patients' lift for transfers. Hand-eye coordination to apply casts and braces and to assemble and maintain DME and reusable surgical equipment. 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.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: Must have one year of Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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. (This experience must be well documented in your resume.) In addition, must also meet below requirements, GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:Knowledge of proper body mechanics to ensure safety of self and patients. Knowledge of use of safe patient handling equipment. (This experience must be well documented in your resume.) GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Knowledge of sterilization procedures used to clean instruments to prevent the spread of infectious and contagious diseases. Maintains/cleans reusable medical equipment (RME) according to manufacturer's instructions. (This experience must be well documented in your resume.) OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. Must have 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 Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level. Education beyond bachelors degree and combination of experience may qualify. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Preferred Experience: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Provide direct patient care to a selected patient population requiring wound care dressing changes, casts, braces, and splints in the OPC treating locations (Surgical Clinics and Surgical Procedure rooms);. Provides assistance of a technical, specialized, or support nature to health and medical personnel in the diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses or medical conditions and procedures; Responsible for setup of equipment for all procedures including excisional biopsies, tissue removal, incisions and drainage of abscesses, and amputations; Responsible for the proper functioning of the equipment used during the process and through procedure completion. Incumbent cleans and replaces all surgical equipment and secures the confidence and cooperation of patients during various surgical procedures. 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 VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Asinate Faasolo
• Phone: 650-694-6026
• Email: [email protected]