The position serves as an Orthopedic Technician and is located in Surgical Service, at the Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS). The incumbent performs a wide range of minor treatment, cast room, minor surgical suite and technical tasks in support of the Orthopedic Clinic. The incumbent assists physicians, as directed, in the major and minor operating room.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Greets and logs patients and provides instruction and information on procedures to be performed. In accordance with aseptic requirements, sets up equipment, establishes a sterile field, assembles needed sterile supplies, and hands sterile equipment to the physician. Performs dressing changes in accordance with aseptic standards within clinic treatment areas. Constructs and applies a variety of splints and casts using all forms of casting to include thermoplastic and hydrplastic casting materials. Based on the type of requirements, as determined by the physican(s), obtains and applies needed splinting and casting materials in a safe manner. Assists with initial casts by holding the fractured areas, handing materials or equipment to the doctor(s) or applying the cast materials while the doctor immobilizes or positions the parts of the body to be casted. Assists in moving and positioning the patient; assists in draping the patient for surgery and preparation of specialty equipment and beds. Aids in surgical exposure and other technical function that will help the surgeon carry out a safe operation and optimal results for the patient. Receives telephone calls and requests for assistance for information from patients, administrative support staff, nurses, and physicians. Provides information requested of refers caller to appropriate agency or section for assistance in accordance with established protocols. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Orthopedic Technician - Surgical Service/PD03098-A

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/26/2025. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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: INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: 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 - Orthopedic Technician. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: aiding physicians in the care of patients with orthopedic injuries or disorders under physician instruction and guidance; preparing treatment room, instruments, and equipment for orthopedic examinations and surgical procedures; And screening medical records for pertinent information needed to report patient conditions for chart records and operative/lab reports. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Interpersonal EffectivenessMedical InformationPatient Care 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: Work requires extensive standing, stretching, bending, walking, stooping, and lifting in caring for patients. Positions patients for procedures. Hold patient's extremity steadily for up to one hour. Works at computer terminal. Involves prolonged standing and holding of surgical instrumentation when working in the operating room/treatment room. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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 VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Sara Flores
• Phone: 369-873-3561
• Email: [email protected]