Surgical Technician

Veterans Health Administration; El Paso (TX); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration seeks a Surgical Technician assigned to the Ambulatory Surgical Unit. You will carry out surgical technology duties, recognize and report patient information, and assist in planning complex procedures under the supervision of the surgical team and RN.

Applicants must show one full year of specialized experience at GS-05 level or higher, with one year in an acute care OR and two years in ambulatory surgery with scrubbing knowledge.

Qualifications

• One full year of specialized experience at least at GS-05 level in federal service or equivalent.
• One year as a Surgical Technician in an acute care facility operating room; two years in ambulatory OR with scrubbing knowledge.
• Deep understanding of major body systems to interpret surgeon requests and recognize needs.
• Extensive knowledge of surgical instruments, equipment testing, and postoperative decontamination.

Responsibilities

• Carry out assigned surgical technology duties based on procedures.
• Recognize, report, and record relevant patient information to the surgical team.
• Participate with the surgical team in planning and implementing complex procedures under supervision.

Skills

Surgical scrubbing

Infection control

Asepsis procedures

Patient information reporting

Education

Graduate-level education related to surgical technology

Internship in surgical technology or anatomy and physiology

Job description

The Surgical Technician is assigned to the Ambulatory Surgical Unit within the VA. The Surgical Technician/Technologist, must have the ability to carry out assigned surgical technology duties based on surgical procedure. The Technician accurately recognize, report, and record relevant patient information. The Surgical Technician participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team and the registered nurse.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/19/2026. Your experience must be detailed in your resume to receive full credit. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Experience:

You must have one full year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS- 05 in the federal service, that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the Surgical Technician position and that is typically in and/or related to the position being filled.
One (1) year experience as a Surgical Technician in an acute care facility operating room; minimum of two (2) years experience in an ambulatory surgical operating room with scrubbing knowledge and proficiency in orthopedic surgeries, eye surgeries, and laparoscopic surgeries. Specialized experience includes:
Must be able to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the functioning of the major body systems to interpret surgeon requests, surgical emergencies and to recognize the need for additional patient care needs.
Must possess extensive knowledge of operations and functions of all surgical instruments and equipment, testing procedures to assure all equipment works, and proper postoperative decontamination procedures.
Must know proper procedures and safety precautions for high level disinfecting of instruments.
Knowledge of asepsis to prepare/protect the sterile field during surgery.
And Must have in-depth knowledge of standard precautions and know how to implement infection control policies and procedures.

Education:

You must have successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate level education or an Internship in a field directly related to the Surgical Technician position, such as anatomy and physiology, surgical technology, aseptic techniques, etc. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. (School/College Transcripts Required).
OR: Experience/Education Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of the Surgical Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

Physical Requirements:

The work requires some moving and transporting of light items such as supplies, papers, books, trays and equipment on a regular and recurring basis. the work involves long periods of moving about the work unit. Work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting and repositioning patients, or similar activities.
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/.