Surgical Technician

Summary

The Surgical Technician is assigned to the Surgical/Perioperative Service Line, VA Healthcare System, West Palm Beach, FL. The Surgical Technician functions independently to provide a wide range of support to the professional nurse and physician in the Operating Room. The Surgical Technician 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 include, but are not limited to:

• Set up sterile field with all required items for each procedure such as electric/battery powered equipment, ceiling mounted booms, Neptune suction, Phaco, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscope, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other related operating room supplies and equipment.
• Plan and discuss each procedure with assigned surgical team and ensures all supplies and equipment are available prior to the start of the surgical procedure.
• Prepare, organize, and maintain complex sterile surgical set-ups. Ensures all sterile wrap/packaging have no holes/tears/breaks in packaging integrity. Visualizing chemical indicators have turned.
• Observe and respond 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.
• Utilize standard precautions and follows all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, supplies, and equipment.
• Handles specimens appropriately, participates with circulating RN with two-person verification of accurate specimen labeling and confirmation of correct patient identification.
• Actively participates in Briefing, Time out, and De-briefing process.
• Performs sponge, sharps, and instrument (when applicable) counts with circulating registered nurse.
• Demonstrates outstanding aseptic technique and monitors sterile field to protect against breaks in sterile technique. Maintains clean and safe operating room work area.
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology such as medical terminology, safe patient handling, and medical conditions in respect to standard perioperative care.
• Knowledge of the correct use of invasive instrumentation and equipment specific to procedures performed in operating room.
• Skill/flexibility to adjust to new surgical subspecialties and adapt to associated challenges. This may include learning to work with highly sensitive surgical instruments using prescriptive surgical steps.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:30pm EST with evening, weekend, and holiday call requirements.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician / PD03055A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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 ( 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 or 2-year trial 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 or trial 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, 07/08/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify for the GS-07 grade level based on your experience, education, or a combination of both:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-06) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, not limited too: Setting up sterile fields; determining technical factors, setting controls with required items for procedures 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; sterilizing operations and testing to determine sterilization methods to be used; receiving and interpreting request for procedure; securing patients' confidence and cooperation; assisting surgical staff with or performing diagnostic tests and procedures; positioning patients for procedures; handling and coordinating clerical/administrative support functions; performing personal patient care; teaching patients proper health care practices; and maintaining medical records and documents test results. Previous experience in working under microscope using aseptic technique to deliver required instrumentation to physician for use in the procedure; experience and understanding of the biological physiology of disease conditions that requires surgical intervention; experience in responding to acute trauma injuries in the operating room.

OR

• Education: You must have successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate-level education (typically 18 semester hours or the school's equivalent) from an accredited college or university. This graduate education must be directly related to the clinical, medical, or technical support work of this position (such as Surgical Technology, Nursing, Allied Health, or closely related biological/medical sciences). (Note: Undergraduate education cannot be used to qualify for positions at the GS-06 level and above in this series).

OR

• Combination of Education and Experience : You may qualify by a combination of qualifying specialized experience and graduate-level education as described above. To calculate your combination, first determine your total qualifying specialized experience as a percentage of the 12-month requirement; then determine your qualifying graduate semester hours as a percentage of the 18 semester-hour requirement. Add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

Physical Requirements: Duties require long periods of standing, walking, stooping and/or bending. Occasional lifting and carrying of moderately heavy objects, including patient transfer assistance at the beginning and end of case. Incumbent must be able to provide proper surgical visualization by holding retractors for extended periods of time often in strained or awkward positions. 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. Incumbent must also be able to work under the pressure of emergent conditions, tight schedules, and a constant changing schedule due to emergencies.

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

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: 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

Whole Health Statement: The VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model that is based in a partnership across time, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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 an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.