Surgical Technician
Location: Sioux Falls South Dakota
Description: Department of Veterans Affairs is in need of Surgical Technician right now, this career will be placed in South Dakota. More details about this career opportunity kindly read the description below. VacancyID: 700492
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Country's service.
If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans .
The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.
The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define Â"who we are,Â" our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are I ntegrity, C ommitment, A dvocacy, R espect and E xcellence (Â" I CARE Â").
America's Veterans need you!
To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/ .
KEY REQUIREMENTS
You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation.
DUTIES:
Employee serves as a Surgical Technician at the VA Health Care System, Sioux Falls SD, providing assistance during surgical procedures to the surgeon and other members of the surgical team. Duties include, but may not be limited to: performs as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment for a variety of surgical procedures; sets up the operating room (OR) sterile field with all required equipment, instruments and supplies for varying types of surgical procedures; plans/discusses each procedure with surgical professionals and assures all supplies and equipment are available prior to surgery; prepares, organizes, and maintains highly complex sterile instrumentation and surgical setup; observes and anticipates the needs of the surgeon and hands necessary surgical items during surgery; utilizes universal precautions and follows infection control policies/procedures when handling specimens, supplies and equipment; assists in cleaning the OR and equipment; provides patient care and assists with positioning, prepping, and transporting patients to and from the OR; handles specimens appropriately, including labeling, keeping organized on table and transporting to the laboratory; assists with sponge, needles and instrument counts to verify accuracy and responsible for the accountability for all items during surgery; recognizes changes in patient condition including emergencies, perioperatively and takes appropriate action; provides patient information to the surgical team to include in the patient's plan of care; provides patient education; assists in training students (i.e., medical, nursing, OR technology, new OR staff) in the operations of equipment, sterile techniques, handling of instruments, and OR procedures to include the scrub role in surgical procedures; maintains equipment and performs maintenance to prevent malfunctions; and assists in scheduling surgical cases and answering phones. You will function as second circulator for complex surgical procedures.
WORK SCHEDULE: Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm
DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.
***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.
Must possess One year of SPECIALIZED experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this Surgical Technician position to be filled. 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 required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. SPECIALIZED experience includes: working as a scrub technician in a hospital operating room (OR) assisting surgeons and nurses in operating room activities, such as setting up surgical field, anticipating the needs of the surgeon, passing instruments, maintaining sterile conditions, draping/positioning patients; and assisting in training residents, medical students, nursing students, and other OR staff in handling specimens, the operation of and cleaning/sterilization of equipment, sterile techniques and handling instruments, as well as OR procedures. (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.) ( Please note: Details of experience such as scrubbing for various surgical procedures is not sufficient details to determine qualifications for the GS-7 level)
OR One full year of Graduate education meets the specialized experience requirements. Education is creditable only if directly related to this Surgical Technician position to be filled. 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. (Transcript required)
OR Equivalent combinations of successfully completed directly related Graduate education and specialized experience are also qualifying. (Transcript required)
As part of the assessment questionnaire for this position, you will respond to task statements related to the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs):
Ability to communicate orally and efficiently with the members of the surgical team and other patient care areas (i.e., x-ray, laboratory, patient floors).
Knowledge of universal precautions of all infection control policies and procedures when handling specimens, medical supplies and instruments.
Ability to anticipate the needs of the surgeon during surgical procedures to respond in an emergency or life threatening situation.
Knowledge of operations and functions of all surgical instruments and equipment including testing procedures to assure all equipment is in good working condition.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT: Position requires manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are in stages of unconsciousness. Requires extensive periods of standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching. 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. Duties are performing in the operating rooms requiring special OR attire and regular/recurring exposure to toxic and noxious gases, exposure to x-rays, blood and body fluids, and infections. Required to wear appropriate protective attire.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.
Veteran's Preference:
When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability. If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.
Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference ," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf ) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx .
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:
Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.
After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group. Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group. Qualifying veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the best qualified group. The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview. The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.
BENEFITS:
VA offers a comprehensive benefits package. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered: http://www.va.gov/jobs/job_benefits/benefits.asp .
The Federal Government has special appointing authorities for persons with qualifying disabilities (go to http://www.opm.gov/disability/peoplewithdisabilities.asp ). For additional information on these, and other special appointing authorities, refer to this checklist or contact the hiring Human Resources Management Service at: 2501 W 22nd St Sioux Falls, SD 57105 USA
OTHER INFORMATION:
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.
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If you were eligible to this career, please email us your resume, with salary requirements and a resume to Department of Veterans Affairs.
If you interested on this career just click on the Apply button, you will be redirected to the official website
This career starts available on: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:44:59 GMT