This position reports to Nurse Manager, Operating Room, with administrative accountability to the Deputy Chief Nurse, Inpatient and the Associate Director Patient Care/Nurse Executive. The Surgical Technician (ST) will be an employee of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS), assigned to the Office of Patient Care Services (OPCS). The Surgical Technician is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other members of the team during surgical procedures.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Function as a Primary Scrub Person 50% Responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures such as: thoracic, major vascular and total joint surgery. - Sets up a sterile field with all required items for each procedure i.e., air powered, fiber optic, Laparoscopic, arthroscopy, and urologic equipment, microscopes, 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 surgical setups. - Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipated the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Maintains Environment, Equipment and Specific Supply Items 25% Monitors and maintains OR area including overall cleanliness, temperature, humidity, crash cart and other emergency equipment and supply items. - Ensures cleanliness and performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunction. - Assesses equipment needs and maintains adequate stock of supplies and materials. - Recognizes potentially hazardous situations, i.e., frayed cords. water on floor and takes corrective action Provides Guidance/Supervision 20% Provides guidance and support to students and new operating room staff - Indirectly supervises non-surgical team members, students, and other personnel. Other Duties as Assigned 5% Assists surgical team members in quality improvement activities. - Updates personal knowledge regarding current trends in surgical technology through continuing education. - Performs duties as assigned including on-call/call back tours as required. - Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00AM-4:30PM) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD02217-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2024. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience GS-07: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 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: (1) Utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; (2) 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; (3) performing proper cleaning techniques, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies; (4) handling contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene (5) 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, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. 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 such as anatomy and physiology, surgical technology, aseptic techniques, etc. 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. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level. Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Infection ControlPatient CareTechnical Competence 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 regularly require 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 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

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 Las Vegas VA Medical Center 6900 North Pecos Road North Las Vegas, NV 89086 US
• Name: Ieisha Freeman
• Phone: 443-251-9441
• Email: [email protected]