Surgical Technician

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Temple (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Temple, TX seeks a Surgical Technician for the Operating Room and perioperative clinics. The incumbent supports the surgical team, prepares instrumentation, maintains sterile fields, and assists in major and minor procedures.

Responsibilities include patient transport, equipment readiness, and perioperative communications. Position requires adherence to aseptic technique and collaboration with registered nurses, with a Monday–Friday schedule and on-call

Qualifications

• Six months generalized experience in surgical technician duties (OR)
• Education may substitute for the required experience for GS-3/4/5 levels
• For GS-3: 1 year of education above high school in medical/health related fields (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• For GS-4: 2 years of education above high school with at least 12 semester hours in related subjects (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• For GS-5: 4-year bachelor’s degree with related subjects (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• Combination of education and experience may qualify at each level

Responsibilities

• Participates with the surgical team in planning and implementing complex procedures under supervision
• Functions as the primary scrub person, handing instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures
• Independently sets up the sterile field with required instruments, supplies, and equipment
• Maintains sterile technique and aseptic field intra-operatively
• Transports patients pre-operatively and post-operatively and coordinates needed supplies and equipment
• Uses computers daily for emails, patient information, and leave requests
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 5:30pm with rotational on-call; call may occur after hours, weekends and holidays

Skills

Surgical scrubbing

Aseptic technique

Operating room support

Instrument setup

Patient positioning

Emergency response

Education

Bachelor’s degree related to position

Two years of study with 12 semester hours in medical/health fields

One year of study in medical/health fields above high school (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

Job description

Summary

The incumbent is assigned to Nursing Service and serves as the Surgical Technician for the Operating Room (OR) and surgical clinics at the Central Texas VA Health Care System in Temple - Texas. The incumbent is supervised by the Nurse Manager - Perioperative Care and/or designee.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/19/2026. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists - speech pathologists - medical officers - and optometrists. Therefore - technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge - methods - and techniques of the position to be filled. OR Education and Training For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study that included study in medical - health - or related fields. For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree - with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. You may qualify based on your experience and/or educationas described below: GS-03: Generalized Experience: You must possess six months of generalized experience that demonstrates the ability to do the work of a Surgical Technician - OR experience that provides familiarity with the operating room processes - instruments - and sterilization. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one year of education above high school that included study in medical - health - or related fields. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) 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 high school. The percentage of experience and education must meet 100% to qualify. GS:04: Generalized and Specialized Experience: You must possess Six months of generalized experience and six months of specialized experience as a medical or health professional that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of a surgical technician applying knowledge - methods - and techniques of a surgical technician. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 2 years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school. The percentage of experience and education must meet 100% to qualify. GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must possess one year of specialized experience - equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service - that equipped me with the knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) needed to successfully perform the duties of this position and that is typically in or related to the position being filled. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to the following: Performing scrubbing functions on all types of surgical procedures minor and major; Participating in perioperative role with the principles of aseptic technique by assessing the needs of the surgical patient - preparing instrumentation - supplies - and equipment for the procedure; Scrubbing during the operative intervention - maintaining and cleaning the instrumentation and equipment post-operatively; Utilizing preference cards as a reference to prepare instrumentation - supplies - and equipment for a procedure. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree - with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess a combination of education and experience. * NOTE* Only education more than the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study - or 60 semester hours - beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) GS-06: Specialized Experience: You must possess one year of specialized experience - equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service - that equipped me with the knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) needed to successfully perform the duties of this position and that is typically in or related to the position being filled. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to the following: Assisting the Registered Nurse with circulating duties during major and minor procedures by positioning patients on the operating table - holding extremity during surgical prep - controlling safety hazards - checking the working condition of equipment and anticipating the need for and providing additional supplies and equipment for either the scrub or circulating nurse; Operating and helping maintain surgical equipment reporting any malfunctions in equipment; Recognizes emergency situations - taking appropriate and immediate action - and immediately notifying the charge nurse; Locating and operating emergency equipment and supplies readily and effectively; Utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE) when implementing standard precautions to provide direct patient care. 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/.

Duties

• 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
• At the full performance level - the incumbent will perform a variety of duties - including - but not limited to the following: Participates with the surgical team members in planning and implementing complex procedures under the general supervision of the surgical team
• Functions as the primary scrub person - responsible for handing instruments - supplies - and equipment during all surgical procedures such as - but not limited to thoracic - neurosurgery - EENT - vascular and total joint surgery
• Independently sets up the sterile field with all required instruments - supplies and equipment for each procedure to include - but not limited to: air powered instrumentation - endoscopy - laparoscopy - arthroscopy - urologic equipment - lasers - microscopes - and recording devices
• Plans and discusses each procedure with the RN - and surgical team
• Assures all instruments - supplies and equipment are available prior to the surgical procedure
• Prepares - organizes - and maintains highly complex surgical setups
• Practices sterile technique - preparing instrumentation independently and without direct supervision - utilizing aseptic technique - maintaining a sterile field intra-operatively
• Transports patients pre-operatively and post-operatively acquiring needed supplies - medications - blood - reports - and equipment throughout the perioperative process
• Uses computers on a daily basis for various functions such as - reading and sending email communications - entering patient information - requesting leave - etc
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 5:30pm
• with rotational on-call requirements 7:30am - 6pm or longer if there are cases
• Call Cases may be after hours - including weekends and holidays
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician GS-3: 7881-A - GS-4: 7880-A - GS-5: 7879-A - GS-6 01392A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized