Surgical Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 46,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Health Technician (Surgical) to support the surgical team at a 1B Tertiary Care Medical Center in New Orleans.

The role reports to Nursing Service through the Nurse Manager OR/PACU and requires meeting the IOR and specialized experience by the closing date of 10/26/2026. Qualified candidates will have experience across surgical sub-specialties, be skilled in wide ranges of instrumentation, draping, and sterile technique to protect patient

Qualifications

• Experience with all Surgical Sub-specialties and related ksas.
• Skilled in the use and maintenance of surgical instruments.
• Proficient in draping to establish and maintain a sterile field.

Skills

Surgical instrumentation

Sterile field techniques

Robotic/complex procedures

Job description

The Health Technician (Surgical) reports to Nursing Service through the Nurse Manager Operating Room (OR)/ Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and functions as an integral part of the surgical team of a 1B Tertiary Care Medical Center. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirement

Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience requirements.

In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must also meet the experience relevant to this position.

GS-7 grade level:

One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:

• Experience with all Surgical Sub-specialties (General, Laparoscopic, GU, GYN, Ortho, Neuro, ENT, Plastics, Robotic, CV/Thoracic).
• Experience with scrubbing on Complex Procedures, Robotic Procedures, Open Heart Procedures.
• Experience with normal and abnormal anatomy and physiology of all systems, and how these systems interact and what impact surgical intervention had on these systems.
• Skilled in the use of wide range of instrumentation for all surgical specialties: names functions, assembly/disassembly, testing and calibration for safety and accuracy, functioning/troubleshooting if they malfunction during surgery, maintenance, disinfecting and sterilizing.
• Skilled in the use of draping techniques which will establish and maintain a sterile field, protect the patient's privacy and provide security for delicate instruments; i.e. electrocautery hand pieces, scopes and cameras and laser hand pieces.

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/.