Surgical Technician

Job Description

Here’s a detailed summary of the job posting:

### About the Company

The position is located within the Veterans Administration (VA), specifically the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It falls under the Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC. The VA is a federal government agency dedicated to providing healthcare services to U.S. veterans.

### Job Description

Job Title: Surgical Technician (GS-05, GS-06, GS-07)

Summary:
This position serves as a Surgical Technician within the Nursing Service department. The primary role involves providing essential assistance to surgeons and other surgical team members during various surgical procedures.

Major Duties:
The Surgical Technician performs a wide range of critical tasks, including:
• Primary Scrub Person: Acting as the main scrub person, responsible for managing instruments, supplies, and equipment throughout surgical procedures.
• Sterile Field Management: Setting up the sterile field with all necessary items for each procedure.
• Procedure Preparation: Planning and discussing procedures with surgical professionals to ensure all supplies and equipment are readily available before surgery.
• Sterile Setup Maintenance: Preparing, organizing, and maintaining highly complex sterile instrumentation and surgical setups.
• Anticipation and Response: Closely observing and promptly responding to each stage of the surgical procedure, anticipating the surgeon’s needs, which requires sustained concentration.
• Infection Control: Adhering to universal precautions and strictly following all infection control policies and procedures.
• Patient Care Assistance: Supporting team members in providing patient care.
• Specimen Handling: Appropriately handling all surgical specimens.
• Counts Verification: Collaborating with the circulating Registered Nurse (RN) to perform accurate sponge and instrument counts.
• Accountability: Ensuring accountability for all surgical instruments and equipment throughout procedures.
• Surgeon Assistance: Directly assisting the surgeon by performing tasks such as preparing skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples, and cutting sutures.
• Patient Condition Recognition: Recognizing changes in a patient’s condition, including emergencies.
• Information Sharing: Providing patient information to the RN/Anesthesia Team for incorporation into the patient’s care plan.
• Patient Education Support: Reinforcing patient education to support the healthcare team.
• Activity Organization: Organizing and prioritizing patient care activities.
• Training and Education: Assisting in training residents, medical students, nursing students, operating room technology students, and new Operating Room staff on equipment operation, sterile technique, and instrument handling.
• Second Circulator: Functioning as a second circulator for complex surgical procedures.
• Administrative Support: Assisting with scheduling cases, answering phones, and relaying messages as appropriate.

Promotion Potential:
The selected candidate may be promoted to the full performance level (GS-07) without further competition, provided all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. However, selection at a lower grade level (GS-05 or GS-06) does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule:
The typical work schedule is Monday through Friday during day tour hours, with call requirements as needed.

Virtual Status:
This is not a virtual position; it requires on-site presence at the Charles George VA Medical Center.

Position Description/PD#:
The official Position Description number for this role is PD04100A.

Physical Requirements:
The role is physically demanding, regularly requiring:
• Manual Assistance: Providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, many of whom are unconscious.
• Prolonged Standing/Movement: Extensive periods of regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to ensure easy accessibility of instruments and supplies for the surgeon.
• Dexterity: High dexterity is required to pass instruments to surgeons without compromising aseptic technique and in a manner that requires minimal effort from the surgeon.
• Patient Management: Compliance with annual requirements for reviewing and discussing roles in managing emotionally ill and combative patients, demonstrating understanding of less restrictive measures, and appropriate patient monitoring and observation.