Surgical Technician
What you'd do
This position is located in the Surgical Service at the William S. Middleton VAMC Madison, Wisconsin (a complexity level 1b facility). Grades 4-6 are developmental in which the incumbent is assigned duties and responsibilities with the intent of preparing the incumbent to eventually fulfill the position of Surgical Technician, GS-0640-7. Unless found qualified at the GS-07, the incumbent will perform functions assigned in the target position, but at a lesser difficulty and complexity.
Major duties
MAJOR DUTIES: Primary role in Procedural Support: Acts as the primary scrub person for a full range of highly complex surgical procedures across multiple specialties, including but not limited to: General Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic and Total Joint Surgery, Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Microsurgery, Ophthalmology, ENT/Otolaryngology, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Oral Surgery, Podiatric Surgery, and Endovascular surgery. Prepares, organizes and maintains highly complex sterile fields specific to each surgical specialty and procedure, using comprehensive understanding of surgical anatomy, technique, and workflow. Independently selects and arranges all required instruments, sutures, supplies, sponges, medications, suture and hemostatic agents, and complex equipment-such as power tools, fiber-optic devices, laparoscopic towers, surgical robots, cameras, microscopes, lasers, navigation systems, ultrasound devices, disposable and non-disposable instrumentation, and specialty implants/devices. Scrubs, gowns, and gloves him/herself and team members, ensuring adherence to strict aseptic and sterile technique at all times. Passes instruments, sponges, sharps, suture, and specialty devices with speed, accuracy, and anticipation developed through deep procedural knowledge and close communication with the surgeon. Prepares and assists with administration of local anesthetics, irrigations fluids, saline solutions, medications, and other agents as required by the operative procedure. Anticipates emergent and routine needs of the surgical team, suggesting alternative instruments or supplies and modifying procedural plans in response to unforeseen intraoperative events based on advanced knowledge and critical thinking Preoperative Preparation: Initiates case preparation by reviewing the patient chart, verifying patient identity, procedure site, and surgeon's preference card, and ensuring all required items are available and ready. Inspects all instruments and equipment for function, cleanliness, and integrity, verifies that all tools are free from defect and contamination, and troubleshoots or requests repair/replacement as needed. Sets up the sterile back table, Mayo stand, and ancillary equipment with precise arrangement as dictated by the procedure, ensuring all required surgical tools and supplies are immediately accessible and properly organized. Performs and documents initial counts of instruments, sharps, sponges, and miscellaneous items with the circulating nurse prior to the start of the case. Assists with OR suite setup (bed, lights, monitors, warming devices), applying engineering controls for patient and staff safety. Assists in patient admission to the OR, participates in time-out/patient verifications procedures, dons PPE, assists team members with gowning and gloving, and helps with proper patient positioning, prepping, and draping to optimize exposure and prevent injury, using anatomical landmarks and pressure-relief techniques. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 6:45am-3:15pm including on call duties which includes holidays, nights and weekends. Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD25300A, PD25301A, PD25302A, and PD25303A
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/13/2026. 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 based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-0640-04 Specialized Experience: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 6 months of specialized experience which includes - Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. - Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print. - The medical center performance improvement program. - How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment. - Age-specific/population-specific care as identified in the Age-Specific/Population-Specific Competencies (see Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age/population, specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age/population- specific factors noted. OR GS-0640-04 Education: 2 Years above high school with courses related to the occupation OR GS-0640-04 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education such as 6 months of specialized experience and 1 year of above high-school education in courses related to the field. GS-0640-05Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: - Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. - Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print. - The medical center performance improvement program. - How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment. - Age-specific/population-specific care as identified in the Age-Specific/Population-Specific Competencies (see Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age/population, specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age/population- specific factors noted. OR GS-0640-05 Education: 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. OR GS-640-05 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education such as 1 year of specialized experience with 3 years of course study in above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. Or GS-0640-06Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization which includes - Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. - Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print. - The medical center performance improvement program. - How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment. - Age-specific/population-specific care as identified in the Age-Specific/Population-Specific Competencies (see Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age/population, specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age/population- specific factors noted. Or GS-0640-06 Education: Graduate or internship directly related to the work of the position. GS-0640-07Specialized 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 which includes - Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. - Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print. - The medical center performance improvement program. - How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment. - Age-specific/population-specific care as identified in the Age-Specific/Population-Specific Competencies (see Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age/population, specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age/population- specific factors noted. Or GS-0640-07 Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate education in a related field. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond such as 1 full year of graduate education combined with 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade. 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/.
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