Summary The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. He/she participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team. The Surgical Technician functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment. Responsibilities Duties described below are at the full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Functions as the primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment. Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups such as lasers, microscopes, air-powered, fiber optic, and laparoscopic equipment. Utilizes universal safety precautions when handling specimens, supplies and equipment. Assists the surgical team in quality improvement activities. Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, with flexibility to meet the needs of the service. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD00228-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination 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. 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-05 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-04 grade level; For a GS-06 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-05 grade level; For a GS-07 position, you must have served 52 weeks equivalent to the GS-06 grade level; 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 education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: assisting in positioning patients, assisting in managing reusable medical equipment, assisting in bedside procedures, assisting with surgeries, setting up sterile kits, maintaining surgical equipment, etc. GS-05: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level, or successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with courses directly related the Health Technician (Surgical Technician) position, or a combination of education or experience. Examples of specialized experience would be: Assisting in positioning patients. Assisting in general surgery, plastic surgery, urology surgery. Performs a variety of sterilization procedures. Performs administrative support work. OR A 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation for a GS-5; GS-06: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level experience: Assisting in positioning patients. Assisting in general surgery, plastic surgery, urology surgery. Performs a variety of sterilization procedures. Performs administrative support work. GS-07: A minimum of one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level: Assisting in positioning patients. Assisting in general surgery, plastic surgery, urology surgery. Performs a variety of sterilization procedures. Performs administrative support work. OR 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. Combining Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying at the GS-5 level. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of who are at 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. The surgical technician 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. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.