Surgical Technician

Summary

The Surgical Technician (ST) is a member of the Surgical Specialty Operating Room surgical team. The ST aids the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures. The ST participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team.

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Duties

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Duties:

• Functions as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and complex equipment during all surgical procedures, such as vascular, microsurgery, gynecology, urology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, GI Endoscopy, podiatry, a full range of general surgery cases, minimally invasive procedures, and orthopedic surgery.
• Sets up sterile field and maintains working knowledge of all required items used for each procedure, such as disposable and non-disposable surgical instrumentation. Equipment examples include battery and air-powered equipment, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, surgical robots, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and/or any other operating room supplies and equipment.
• Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures all supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure.
• Prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile surgical setups.
• Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure and anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time.
• Utilizes universal 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, sterile draping, and ensuring patient safety via participation in surgical time-out processes. The ST is responsible for ensuring sterility is maintained during the procedure by monitoring for breaches in technique of the surgical team members and/or the sterile field.
• Handles all specimens appropriately.
• In conjunction with the circulating registered nurse (RN), performs sponge and instrument counts to verify accuracy. Responsible for the accountability of all surgical instruments and equipment during the surgical procedure.
• Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and 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 (OR) staff in the operation of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and OR procedures, to include the scrub role in surgical procedures.
• Provides transportation of patients to and from the Operating Room, as assigned.
• Accounts for the availability of correct prosthetics in the room, follows established procedures regarding prosthetic tracking. Follows correct site surgery policies.
• Assists in the implementation and utilization of the Generic Inventory Package to maintain adequate surgical supplies. This includes, but is not limited to, re-stocking the OR cabinets, specialty carts, and other secondary storage containers.
• Monitors daily surgery schedules, provides input into case scheduling duties as assigned.
• Performs non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions.
• Maintains rules and regulations of restricted and semi-restricted areas of the OR suite.
• Assesses equipment needs and monitors adequate stock of supplies and materials. Assists in all aspects of supply management, including but not limited to collaborating with logistics staff to ensure ordering and stocking of supplies as assigned.
• Recognizes potentially hazardous situations (e.g., frayed cords, water on the floor) and takes corrective action.
• Performs required pre-treatment processing of instruments after surgery. Ensures used instruments are immediately transported to sterile processing.
• Cooperates fully with equipment inventory, including meeting established timelines.
• Cooperates fully in equipment trials and procurement processes.
• Participates in all unit education and in-servicing to ensure competency for the set-up, use, and care of all complex surgical equipment used in the OR.
• Provides guidance and support to OR Core Technician and other STs.
• Supervises volunteers, aides, non-surgical team members, students, and other personnel.
• Assists in developing and maintaining appropriate and cost-effective inventory practices.
• Utilizes universal precautions in all work functions.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday, with on-call rotation.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/ PD25209A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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, 08/03/2026 .

This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement - for this series, the following Basic Requirement must be met in addition to the Specialized Experience.

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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 requires the application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-07 Surgical Technician

Specialized Experience: You must have one 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:

• Monitors the proper functioning of instruments and equipment in the surgical field.
• Determines the effectiveness of sterilization, packing, storage, and shelf life.
• Observes and responds promptly to each stage of the surgical procedure.
• Anticipates the needs of the surgeon by maintaining a high level of concentration for extended periods of time.
• Handles instruments, supplies, and equipment during a variety of surgical procedures.
• Utilizes universal precautions to protect patients and staff from exposure to any infectious materials.
• Follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment.
• Monitors and maintains sterile practices throughout surgical procedures.
• Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals to determine proper positioning and assurances of all supplies/equipment are available.
• Assists the surgeon by performing such procedures as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures.
• Recognizes changes in patient condition and takes appropriate actions in response to the situation.
• Provides guidance and support to staff regarding infection control and patient safety protocol.
• Provides emotional support to patients before, during, and after surgery.

Substitution of Education for Experience (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Candidate will have successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate education directly related to the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Combination of Education and Experience (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Candidate will have equivalent combination of successfully complete graduate education and experience, described above, to meet total qualification requirements.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of whom are at stages of unconsciousness. There are extensive periods of regular, recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy access to instruments and supplies for the surgeon. Incumbent must be dexterous at passing instruments to surgeons without compromising the principles of aseptic technique, in a manner that requires little or no effort from the surgeon.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Duties are performed in the operating rooms, which require special OR attire and regular exposure to toxic and noxious gases such as methyl-methacrylate and glutaraldehyde; x-rays; pure oxygen; blood and body fluids, which are often infectious; and laser beams requiring special safety precautions. Appropriate scrub attire is required, including sterile gown and gloves, surgical caps to cover incumbent's hair, surgical mask, or special attire such as a "space helmet" or hood used during total joint replacements in order to maintain an aseptic environment. Incumbent must wear protective eyewear such as goggles or a face shield to prevent inadvertent splash injuries to his or her eyes. Appropriate laser glasses must be worn when working with lasers. The incumbent must frequently wear a 20-30-pound lead apron to protect against radiation during various procedures. Required personal protective equipment is provided by the facility.

The operating room work environment is complex, intense, and fast-paced. Good mental and emotional health is required in order to function at an optimum level.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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:

Additional Information:

Located in the heart of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) can be found on 175 acres in historic Berkeley County and has a service area of more than 70,000 Veterans in West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Medical Center, part of the VA Capitol Health Care Network (VISN 5), offers a comprehensive range of services, including internal medicine, ambulatory surgery, audiology and speech pathology, dental, nursing home, nutrition, podiatry, prosthetics, women's health, mental health, and rehabilitation medicine. Patient care is provided through an integrated primary care concept, and each veteran is assigned to a team of health care providers that follows the patient's care both as an inpatient and an outpatient. It is the mission of the Medical Center to honor America's Veterans as heroes by providing the highest quality health care. The employees of the Martinsburg VAMC are dedicated to improving the quality of life for eligible veterans through excellent health care.

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 an RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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 employees 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

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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