This position is located in Nursing Service, Boise VA Medical Center, Boise, ID. The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the surgical team, provides assistance and support to the surgeon and operating room surgical team during procedures. Participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementation complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team. Recruitment Incentive MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidate.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: The incumbent functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures such as: open heart, thoracic, major vascular, neurosurgery, microsurgery, and total joint replacement surgery. The incumbent will be responsible to perform these duties 100% of the time. 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 (RN), 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 second circulator for complex surgical procedures. Maintains Equipment and Work Areas Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions. Maintains OR area. Assesses equipment needs and maintains adequate stock of supplies and materials. Recognizes potentially hazardous situations (e.g., frayed cords, water on floor) and takes corrective action. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 07:00am - 3:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD60308A Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are 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. Recruitment Incentives: MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidate.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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. 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: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to 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: Prepare, organize, and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups; Follow all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment; Plans and discuss each procedure with surgical professionals to determine proper positioning and assurance of all supplies/equipment are available; Assist surgical team with patient positioning, and setting up the operative field; Monitor and maintain sterile practice throughout surgical procedure. OR, Education: 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. 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 Preferred experience: 1 year of current surgical scrub experience. CST certification is a plus. Knowledge of sterile technique and vast experience in general surgery and orthopedic spine procedures. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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 Boise VA Medical Center 500 West Fort Street Boise, ID 83702 US
• Name: V. Edina Astheimer
• Phone: 208-422-1000 X7652
• Email: [email protected]