Surgical Technician
What you'd do
This position is located in the Erie VA Medical Center Ambulatory Surgery. The position reports to Manager Ambulatory Surgery which is within Clinical Services line. The Surgical Technician is an integral part of the Operating Room (OR) care team. The Surgical Technician works and functions under the guidance of nursing and medical staff of Ambulatory Surgery and the Operating Room.
Major duties
The Surgical Technician handles instruments, supplies and equipment necessary during the surgical procedure. The Surgical Technician has an understanding of the procedures performed and anticipates the needs of the surgeon. Duties include, but are not limited to: Donning OR attire and personal protective equipment (PPE) Gathers, check and opens supplies and equipment needed for the surgical procedure. Performs the surgical scrub, donning gown and gloves. Sets up the sterile back table and mayo stand with instruments, supplies, equipment and medications/ solutions needed for the planned procedure. Performs initial instruments, sharps and sponge count with the circulating nurse. Assists the team members with gowning and gloving. Assists with draping the patient/correct surgical site and establishing the sterile field. Participates in the surgical site and patient verification during the 'time out" procedure. Secures tubing cords and other sterile accessories Prepares and anticipates additional instrumentation, equipment and supplies for usage during schedule procedures. Anticipates the needs of the surgeon by passing instruments and supplies to surgeon during procedure. Measures and passes medications, hemostatic agents and irrigation solutions utilized during the surgical procedure. Holds retractors or instruments as directed by the surgeon. Sponges or suctions the operative site as necessary. Applies electrocautery to clamps or forceps on bleeders at direction of surgeon. Cuts suture material as directed by the surgeon. Coordinates the camera or changes instruments during endoscopic procedures at request of surgeon. Maintains highest standard of sterile technique during the procedures. Performs additional counts as necessary. Prepares sterile dressings and/or immobilization devices. Prepares and passes off specimen(s) as appropriate. Cleans and prepares instruments for terminal sterilization. Assists in prepping (turning over) the OR for the next patient/procedure. Sets up and operates all necessary equipment for procedures. These include but are not limited to: Electrocautery, Laser, Suction, Microscope, Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Cameras and associated equipment: Battery and Air Powered Drill/Saw, Radiofrequency Generators, Disposable and Non-Disposable instruments and equipment necessary in the Operating Room environment. Functions as primary scrub person assisting the surgeon, and for handling instruments, supplies, during a full range of procedures, to include, but not limited to General Surgery, Upper and Lower endoscopy, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Podiatry, Urology, and Pain management. Participates in debriefing and quality improvement practices to ensure quality patient care. Assists with transferring patient to and from the OR table. Monitors the comfort of the patient and provides verbal and tactile reassurance to the patient. Assists in maintaining normothermia. Assists with positioning the patient using appropriate equipment and anatomical principles to avoid patient injury. Properly cares for specimens according to Erie VA policy. Secures dressing after incision closure. Updates and keeps accurate records of the surgeon s preferences. Collaborates and coordinates with circulator to stock Operating Room supplies. Collaborate and coordinate with ambulatory surgery Nursing staff to stock necessary supplies to PACU/pre/post-operative bays and ambulatory. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD066130 Recruitment Incentive: May be Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/06/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Preferred Experience: Certified Surgical Technician with 5+ years of experience 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/.
Before you apply
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