Summary The Surgical Technician is within the Nursing, Perioperative service within Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center within VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System. The Surgical Technician (ST) functions as a member of the surgical team and aids the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. This is an open continuous announcement until September 27, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. Responsibilities This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open untilSeptember 27, 2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be January 31, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates on the last Friday of every month thereafter. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Functions as a scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during complex ambulatory surgical procedures performed. 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. Performs, 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 complex sterile surgical set-ups. Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure. Anticipates needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Utilizes standard 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. Performs sponge, sharps, and instrument counts in conjunction with the Registered Nurse circulator. Responsible for the accountability for all surgical instruments and equipment during the surgical procedure. Prepares prosthesis and surgical devices during procedures. Assists in training other members of the Operating Room (OR) team in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and OR procedures to include the scrub role in surgical procedures. Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions. Maintains OR area. Completes all applicable and required training and competencies in setup, use, reprocessing, and maintenance of reusable medical and sterilization equipment. Demonstrates awareness of the confidentiality requirements regarding medical information. Assists surgical team members in quality improvement activities. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm or 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, depending on needs of service, which may include on-call (evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Surgical Technician) / PD11576A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are within 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) in Health Aid and Technician 0640 Series: Specialized Experience (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. In addition to Individual Occupational Requirement, you must also meet Grade Level Requirement: GS-07 Grade Level: 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: Preparing and managing sterile field, specimen management, and assisting team members with care of the patient; following and adhering to intraoperative standards, guidelines, policies, and procedures; performing customer service and adhering to professional expectations; planning and discussing each procedure with surgical professionals; assuring that all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure according to the surgeons' preference cards; maintaining a high level of concentration for an extended period of time; preparing prosthesis and surgical devices during procedure; handling all specimens appropriately; maintaining Operating Room (OR) area; performing sponge, sharps, and instrument counts in conjunction with the Registered Nurse circulator. 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 on their resume. OR, GS-07 Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education. (Transcript Required) OR, GS-07 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. (Transcript Required) To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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. Additional Information The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.