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Summary The incumbent is responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures. For three consecutive years, Truman VA has been ranked #1 nationally by employees as "Best Place to Work" among 142 VA Medical Centers, based on results from the All Employee Survey. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures such as: open heart, major/minor vascular, simple/complex general surgery, orthopedic procedures including total joint arthroplasty, ophthalmology, plastic, neurosurgery, urological procedures including nephrectomy and laser lithotripsy, and otolaryngology procedure to include radical neck dissection with or without laryngectomy. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical team members and observes and promptly responds to each stage of the surgical procedures, anticipating the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration over an extended period of time. Suggests alternative supplies/instruments if necessary due to unique unforeseen intra operative occurrences. Prepares, organizes and maintains simple to highly complex surgical fields. Appropriately manages surgical specimens. Performs sponge, needle, and instrument counts prior to the incision, before closure of all cavities, and at the termination of the operation. Assists surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, cutting sutures, preparing prosthetic devices for delivery to the sterile field, and preparing dressings. Assumes responsibility for connecting drainage devices to suction and balloon pumps as needed. 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. Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday-6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with alternating holiday and weekend call, must be able to report in 45 minutes Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD01030A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/04/2025. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience for GS-04: You must have at least 6 months of general experience plus 6 months of specialized experience. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Having knowledge of medical instrument. Having knowledge of human anatomy. Having knowledge of physiology. Having knowledge of Sterile Fields. Having knowledge of aseptic technique to prepare and protect a sterile field during surgery. OR, Education GS-04: Successful completion of a two years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. OR, COMBINATION: You must have a combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable and transcripts are required at the time of application. Specialized Experience for GS-05: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-04) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Providing direct patient care in a hospital/medical/surgical facility. Setting up sterile fields. Assisting health care providers in surgery for a variety of procedures. Following universal precautions for infection control. And understanding and using proper medical terminology. OR, Education GS-05: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. OR, COMBINATION: You must have a combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable and transcripts are required at the time of application. Specialized Experience for GS-06: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Preparing sterile fields for surgical procedures. Monitoring and maintaining aseptic techniques throughout surgical procedures. Handling medical instruments, supplies, and equipment during surgical procedures. Performing proper cleaning techniques. Handling and rotation of sterile supplies. Properly handling contaminated items applying knowledge of universal precautions. And implementing infection control policies and procedures. Specialized Experience for GS-07: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-06) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures such as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, cutting sutures. Prepares prosthesis and surgical devices during procedures. Assists in training residents, medical students, nursing students, operating room technology students, and new operating room staff in the operation of equipment, sterile techniques, handling instruments, and/or procedures to include the scrub role in surgical procedures. Recognizes potentially hazardous situation and takes corrective action. Provides guidance and support to Nursing Assistants and other Health Technicians. OR, Education for GS-07: Must have successfully completed one full year of graduate education (18 semester hours or equivalent), or an internship in course matter with a major that included courses directly related to the work of the Health Technician position. OR, Combination of Specialized Experience and Education GS-07: Must have an equivalent combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience to meet the total experience requirement. Preferred Experience: Surgical Technician certification Demonstrated knowledge of AORN standards. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Organizational Awareness Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Technical Competence Technology Management 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. 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/. Additional Information 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit or 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. 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 qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.