The Surgical Technician (ST) (Operating Room) is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to 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. This position will be located in the Operating Room (OR), which performs surgical procedures including general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, cardiothoracic, vascular, podiatry, plastic surgery, orthopedics, urology, neurosurgery, etc. The incumbent's duties include but are not limited to: Assists the surgical team with patient positioning, prepping, and setting up the operative field. Provides transportation of patients to and from the surgical/operating room. Recognizes changes in patient condition and takes appropriate actions in response to the situation Provides guidance and support to staff regarding infection control and patient safety protocol. Provides emotional support to patients before, during and after surgery Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals to determine proper positioning and assurances of all supplies/equipment are available Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and/or surgical devices during procedures. Assists in training staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and operating room/surgical procedures. Utilizes medical terminology when interpreting requests and provide proper documentation for surgical procedures. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups. Utilizes universal precautions to protect patients and staff from exposure to any infectious materials. Follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment. Monitors and maintains sterile practices throughout surgical procedures. Cleans and sterilizes surgical equipment using appropriate methods, germicides and sterilizers. Handles instruments, supplies and equipment during a variety of surgical procedures. Sets up sterile field with all required items (equipment, instruments, supplies and/or devices) for each procedure. Anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Understands and follows protocols for handling various specimens. Performs sharps, sponge, and instrument counts of surgical items before and after surgical procedures. Assists surgical team members to identify and implement performance improvement measures. Monitors proper functioning of instruments and equipment at the surgical field. Determines the effectiveness of sterilization, packing, storage, and shelf life. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure. Work Schedule: based on the needs of the service Telework: Not Available Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician (Operating Room)/PD6637A Physical Requirements: The work requires providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are in 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 eff ort 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 and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

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 GS-07: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level(GS-6) in the Federal service that has provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and ability and other characteristics to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician. Specialized experience includes experience assisting a surgical team with/during surgical procedures, utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; exercising sterile technique to include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging, storage, and shelf life; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures; performing proper cleaning techniques, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies; handling contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene, using knowledge of universal precautions and implementing infection control policies and procedures. NOTE: 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. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 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. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) 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. (RESUME AND TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). Preferred Experience: Candidate will possess 2 years surgical technician and cardiothoracic surgery experience. Basic Life Support (BLS) is required and Certified Surgical Technician preferred for this position. 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. 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 Tennessee Valley HCS - Nashville 1310 24th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 US
• Name: BILLIE SMITH
• Phone: 313 576 1000
• Email: [email protected]