The Surgical Technician will be assigned to the Surgery Service, Associate Director Patient Care Services, Chalmers P. Wylie VAACC, VISN 10, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Columbus, OH. The Surgical Technician may be assigned to one or more procedural areas within the Surgery Services Area, areas of specialization full range of General Surgery, Orthopedic, Urology, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Plastic & Wound, and Podiatry.

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 the following: Operating Room Surgical Technician performs the following major duties: Works in the Surgery Services Operating Rooms (OR), Pain Procedure Clinic, or any other Surgery Services areas as assigned under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN) and reports to the Nurse Manager for the Surgery Service Are Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical providers and/or team and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the providers by maintaining a high-level of concentration for extended period of time. Assists with the preparation and protection of sterile fields with all required items for each procedure; including utilizing use of air-powered equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other operating room supplies and equipment. Assists the surgeons by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, cutting sutures, and/or prepares prosthesis and surgical devices during procedures. Participates with operating room turnover and provides support to facilitate procedure performance. Attends all meetings, trainings/in-services/education required to maintain proficiency in Surgery Service areas. Maintains Equipment and Work Areas: Performs assigned surgical technician care responsibilities requiring the use of advance equipment, technology, or knowledge in procedures performed in the operating room. Performs cleaning and stocking of the operating rooms and performs monthly outdate monitoring. Maintains Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) for all equipment, such as, stainless steel surgical instruments, specific to their surgery assignment, and for cleaning non-reusable medical equipment between patients per standard operating procedures. Recognizes potentially hazardous situations (e.g., frayed cords, water on floor) and takes corrective action. Cooperates fully with equipment inventory, including meeting established timelines and participates fully in equipment trials and procurement processes. Provides Guidance: Provides guidance and support to the surgical team and able to demonstrate the functionality of a wide variety of complex surgical procedures and possible complications in order to prepare for the procedures. Works independently within his/her scope of practice, according to policies, training, and accepted VA practice. Other Duties: Participates with surgical team members in quality improvement activities. Updates personal knowledge regarding current trends in surgical technology through continuing education courses. Participates in developing and maintaining appropriate and cost-effective inventory practices. Utilizes universal precautions in all work functions. Work Schedule: 7:00am - 3:30pm 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. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Having at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. 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. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience includes: having knowledge of technical medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect a sterile field during surgery; possessing knowledge of pathology care and handling of specimens correctly; utilizing proper patient positioning skill to position the patient, depending on the type of procedure; handling instruments , supplies, and equipment during surgical procedures to include open heart, thoracic, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, and total joint replacement; and selecting the correct instruments for a procedure, anticipating the needs of the surgeon during the procedure, and recognizing and responding to a variety of critical situations appropriately. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: Successful completion of one (1) year of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, eighteen (18) semester hours will be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (Transcript Required) Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Having equivalent combinations of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate education as described above to meet the total experience requirements to qualify for this position at the GS-7 grade level. (Transcript Required) Transcripts must be submitted with application. 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 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: Physical requirements may involve lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, walking, standing, sitting, kneeling, and repeated bending. S/he must complete annual Employee Health requirements as a condition of employment. In the performance of duties, s/he may be required to drive and/or ride in GSA-vehicles. See Form OF-178 for detailed job specific requirements. Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of who are at stages of unconsciousness. Prolong 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.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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 Chalmers P Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic 420 North James Road Columbus, OH 43219 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]