The Western NY Healthcare system, Buffalo campus is currently recruiting for one Surgical Technician for the Surgical Department. The Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team. This position directly reports to the Operating Room Nurse Manager.

Duties

Functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures such as: endovascular, open heart, thoracic, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, transplantation, gynecology, urology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, a full range of general surgery cases, minimally invasive procedures, and orthopedic surgery. Sets up sterile field with all required items for each procedure such as air-powered equipment, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other operating room supplies and equipment. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Utilizes universal precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Assists the team members with care of the patient, i.e., positioning, prepping, and obtaining supplies. Handles all specimens appropriately. In conjunction with the circulating Registered Nurse, performs sponge and instrument counts to verify accuracy. Responsible for the accountability for all surgical instruments and equipment during the surgical procedure. Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and surgical devices during procedures. Assists in training residents, medical students, 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 to include the scrub role in surgical procedures. Functions as a Genito-Urinary Health Technician, appropriately handling urological instrumentation and equipment, including lasers, cryotherapy, and ultrasound and uroflow machines. Sets up urology tables in the Genito-Urinary suite Provides transportation of patients to and from the OR, as assigned. Accounts for the availability of correct prosthetics in the room, follows established procedures regarding prosthetic tracking. Follows correct site surgery policies by participating in the "time out" before incision. Performs pre-cleaning and cleaning of reusable medical equipment. Maintains OR area. Monitors front OR desk and handles OR phone calls, as assigned. Assesses equipment needs and maintains adequate stock of supplies and materials. Assists in all aspects of supply management, including but not limited to ordering of supplies and putting them away, as assigned. Recognizes potentially hazardous situations (eg. Frayed cords, broken equipment) and enters work orders as needed. Cooperates fully in equipment trials and procurement processes. Completes mandatory annual competencies on the pre-cleaning of reusable medical equipment- critical and semi-critical. Provides guidance and support to Operating Room Nursing Assistants and other STs. Provides guidance to volunteers, aides, non-surgical team members, students, and other personnel. Provides guidance and support to professional and technical students of an approved surgical technology program. Participates in process and quality improvement activities. Updates personal knowledge regarding current trends in surgical technology through literature and staff in-services. Assists in developing and maintaining appropriate and cost-effective inventory practices. Utilizes universal precautions in all work functions. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7am-3:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD09305A 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. 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. GS-7 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 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: Experience in Surgical settings assisting in surgical procedures. Full range knowledge of Surgical instruments and equipment. Experience assisting in a broad range of surgical procedures. Experience handling a variety of sterile field and surgical equipment. Ability to interact with complex surgical procedures as part of a surgical team. High level of attention to detail is required. Knowledge and skill in universal safety precautions and handling of specimens. Experience with working with a multi discipline team to complete surgical procedures. Experience training staff. Skill and knowledge in pre-cleaning and post-surgical cleaning and maintenance of Operating room and Surgical Equipment. Knowledge and skill of implementing infections control policies and procedures. Ability to recognize hazardous situations. Knowledge of proper patient positioning and ability to position patients depending on the type of procedure. Inventory management experience. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-7 level. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-7 level. 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-7. 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. 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 Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Shannon Wright
• Email: [email protected]