This position is located at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL - a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility. The primary purpose of this position is to provide assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. The Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical teams. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 12/02/2024. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: To qualify at the GS-7 grade level you must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal Service that provides the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Surgical Technician. Specialized experience includes utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; exercising sterile technique to include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging, storage, and shelf life; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures; performing proper cleaning techniques, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies; handling contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene, using knowledge of universal precautions and implementing infection control policies and procedures. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one (1) full year of graduate education (18 semester hours) or an internship in course matter that must include courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position such as anatomy and physiology, surgical technology, aseptic techniques, etc. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education equal to 6 months of graduate level education and 6 months of work experience. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Infection Control Medical Information Patient Care Technical Competence 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. ["The Major Duties of This Position Include But Are Not Limited To The Following: Assist the surgical team with patient positioning, prepping, and setting up the operative field. Provide guidance to staff regarding infection control and patient safety protocol. Provide emotional support, instruction and transportation to patients before, during and after surgery. Plan/discuss procedures with surgical teams to determine proper positioning and adequate availability of supplies and equipment. Assist the surgeon by performing procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures. Prepare prosthesis and other surgical devices during procedures. Assist in training staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and operating room/surgical procedures. Utilize medical terminology to interpret requests and provide proper documentation for surgical procedures. Clean and sterilize surgical equipment with appropriate methods, germicides and sterilizers and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups. Set up sterile field with all required equipment, instruments, supplies and devices for each procedure. Anticipate the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time. Perform sharps, sponge, and instrument counts of surgical items before and after surgical procedures. Monitor proper functioning of instruments and equipment at the surgical field, and respond promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:00am to 03:30pm, Flexible schedule on call weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD09282A Physical Requirements: Physical components of the position require lifting of objects and patients from under 15 pounds to 35 pounds, carrying (under 25 pounds),walking, standing, and bending for periods of 7 hours/day. Pushing up to 30-pound force required to move patient carts, to perform CPR, a minimum of 125 pound of force is recommended by the American Heart Association, use of both hands and fingers is required, the ability to reach above the shoulders, neck range of motion sufficient to scan the full sterile field to assess for breaks in sterility, visual acuity with or without corrective devices to allow for visualization of suture needle to size 4.8mm. Must be able to distinguish low range sound and voice in surgical suite environment with competing background conversations, alarms, and equipment noise. Occasional kneeling is required for operating room procedures."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
