This position serves as a Surgical Health Technician (OA) GS-0640-07 assigned to the Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat-ENT) Specialty at Surgery Service, located at the San Juan Facility within the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS), which is a Level 1a facility. The primary purpose of the position is to provide assistance to the Otorhinolaryngology/ENT Clinic Providers and other members of the team during clinic hours and clinic procedures.

Duties

Major duties include but aren't limited too: Responsible for full set up of sterile field for ENT procedure cases including back table, mayo stand, correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as per policy, ensuring sterility is maintained, correct site maintained and confirmed using universal protocol and participates in timeout procedures, assures supplies are in place for each procedure. Assist in a variety of procedures such as; Biopsies, obtain cultures, ear lavages, antral irrigations, tracheotomy change, control of epistaxis, T-tube placement, under the supervision of the attending physician in the Otolaryngology Clinic. Appropriately handle, set up and preclean RMD in accordance with facility SPS policy and manufacturer instructions. Observe and respond promptly to each stage of the surgical specialty clinic procedure and anticipate the needs of the provider by maintaining a high level of concentration by remaining with the provider during the procedure. Maintain equipment stock, including sterile trays needed for procedures. Assist in the transfer of patient to and from examining rooms (stretchers, wheelchairs) and escorts patients to Emergency Department or PIC as needed. Assist in preparing working schedules, attend on call schedule, assist in the pre-operative phase of patients schedule for operation, serve as a liaison between Surgery Service Administrative staff, Operating Room, Nursing, MSD, HAS and SPS. Prepare all work orders for medical equipment repairs and for Environment of Care related issues; follow up all Pharmacy Department ENT clinics request for medications. Escalate any abnormal testing to the ordering provider for further testing or surgery schedule arrangements. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm M-F Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD13419A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/26/2024. Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Must be proficient in spoken Spanish. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) which is a minimum qualification requirement. To be considered for the position, you must ensure that the experience is reflected in your resume and/or if applicable, transcripts must be uploaded to support education requirement or substitution. Individual Occupational Requirements: 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. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist in a variety of procedures such as; Biopsies, obtaining cultures, ear lavages, antral irrigations, tracheotomy change, control of epistaxis, T-tube placement; set up sterile field with all required items for each procedure and ensure they remain sterile during the procedure; assure that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the procedure, preparing, organizing, and maintaining procedure setups; utilize universal precautions and follow all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies and equipment; provide patient with health information education material and direct patients to appropriate resources available; ensure all preoperative testing is received and in the system before the surgery date; adhere to the ethical and legal standards of professional practice, recognize and respond to emergencies, and demonstrate professional characteristics. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond undergraduate.. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/DocumentationInfection ControlPatient CareUse and Maintain Tools and Equipment 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. Physical Requirements: Duties might require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients. There are 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 providers without compromising principles of aseptic or septic technique and in a manner requiring little or no effort from the provider. 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

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: Hunter Hobbs
• Phone: 615-983-3252
• Email: [email protected]