Summary A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a Highly Qualified Individual This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is 1/26/2024. Additional applications will be referred as needed. Applicants will remain active for 3 months after their initial application is received and/or updated. After that time, you must update your application through your USAJobs account if you would like to be made active again for possible consideration during the open period. Responsibilities Functions as a primary and lead scrub person responsible for handling surgical instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures including but not limited to: Open heart, thoracic, vascular, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopedic, urology reconstruction surgery (plastics), general surgery, robotic, endovascular and pain management. Creates, maintains and over sees the sterile field. Performs as a scrub nurse for a wide variety of complex surgical invasive procedures and possible complications. Anticipates and prepares surgical instruments and equipment for the next phase of surgery. Mentors and shares information related to complex procedures with inexperienced staff on the surgical team. Passes operating surgical instruments to the surgeon. Identifies, assembles, handles, manages and operates specialized complex medical equipment such as microscopes, LASERS, PHACO-emulsifier machine, robot, specialized surgical tables and positioning devices. Handles instruments, equipment, supplies, and implants used in laparoscoplc and endo vascular surgery. Guides, supports and trains less skilled staff in surgical procedures including student surgical technicians. Sets up the sterile field with required surgical instrumentation, medical equipment, surgical drapes, and sterile supplies for types of surgical procedures to include: air powered equipment, fiber optic, laparoscopic, minimally invasive instrumentation, and equipment. Prepares, organizes, and maintains complex surgical sterile setups such as but not limited to: open heart, total-joint arthroplasties, craniotomies and concurrent procedures with multiple surgical specialties. Prioritizes assigned tasks based on past experience, judgment and team work. Monitors the sterile field for breaks in technique. Communicates and collaborates with members of the surgical team to include the perioperative registered nurse, staff surgeon, surgical residents, anesthesia providers and other ancillary staff to achieve positive patient outcomes. Collaborates with the surgical team to develop and implement a surgical procedure plan of care to assure that all necessary surgical supplies, instruments and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure. Collaborates with the surgical team to initiate and request procurement for instruments, supplies, implants and equipment. Work Schedule: Various Shifts (Days/Evenings/Nights) with on-call and Saturday rotation. Shift determined after orientation is complete and based on unit needs Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician- Recruitment/ Relocation Incentive Authorized/PD7623A and PD07623A Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are in stages of unconsciousness. Requires recurring prolonged standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provided 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 effect from the surgeon. the surgical technician must move expeditiously in taking emergency action Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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: : knowledge of surgical procedures, human anatomy and physiology; and sterile aseptic principles and techniques to handle and pass surgical instruments, supplies, and equipment during procedures; knowledge of surgical equipment, instruments and supplies setup and patient positioning and draping techniques; skill to prepare operating room for surgery; and knowledge of the principles of steam sterilization, gas and chemical sterilization methods to clean and process surgical and endoscopic instrumentation. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. One (1) year of successfully completed graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled (Health Technician-Surgical). This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level. Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience to qualify at the GS-7 level. If you do not submit your transcript - education credit will not be awarded. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have 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. (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. Accreditation Information: Please site specific the accreditation information from the qualification standards or use the generic description for all others. Example - Sample for LPMHC: The master's or doctoral degree must be fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Additional Information This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until 6/14/2024. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. The first cut-off date is 1/26/2024. Applications will expire after 90 days, and applicants must update their application through USAJobs for further consideration. 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.