Career Center

The Surgical Technician is a member of the surgical team and aid the surgeon and other team members in the Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System (NWIHCS) Omaha Hospital Operating Room Department to plan and implement complex surgical procedures under the general direction of the surgeon and Registered Nurse. The Surgical Technician possesses expertise in application of the sterile techniques and facilitates a surgeon's performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedure. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2022. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Utilizing knowledge of medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect sterile field during surgery; exercising sterile technique to include sterilizer operations and tests to determine the effectiveness of sterilization, packaging, storage, and shelf life; handling medical instruments, supplies and equipment during all surgical procedures; performing proper cleaning techniques, as well as the proper handling and rotation of sterile supplies; handling contaminated items, quality control, and personal hygiene, using knowledge of universal precautions and implementing infection control policies and procedures. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR, Substitution of Education: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required for the GS-06 Surgical Technician ONLY in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED IF EDUCATION IS BEING USED TO QUALIFY OR, Combination of Experience and Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required graduate education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal a least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-06. NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED IF EDUCATION IS BEING USED TO QUALIFY. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailInfection ControlMedical InformationPatient CareTechnical Competence Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of who are at stages of unconsciousness. There are extensive periods of regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy accessibility of instruments and supplies for the surgeon. The ST must be dexterous in passing instruments to surgeons without compromising principles of aseptic technique and in a manner requiring little or no effort from the surgeon. 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/. ["This is an OPEN AND CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until June 30, 2022. The initial cut of date for referral of eligible applications will be June 10, 2022, with subsequent cut-off dates every Friday thereafter. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Major Duties: Provide assistance to the surgeon and other team members during surgical procedures Function as a primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies and equipment; Prepare, organize and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups; Plan and discuss each procedure with surgical team to ensure all supplies and equipment are available prior to surgical procedures; Provide guidance and support to professional staff during surgical procedures; Understand the proper procedure and safety precautions for disinfecting surgical instruments; Perform non-technical maintenance of equipment to prevent malfunctions; Recognize potentially hazardous situations and takes corrective action; Assess equipment needs and maintains adequate stock of supplies and materials; Perform other related duties as assigned. Preferred experience in all surgical areas to include: General Surgery, Plastics, ENT, Ortho, Urology, Podiatry, Ophthalmology, and GI/Endoscopy. Preferred knowledge of Lasers/Cautery. Preferred experience in SPS. Work Schedule: 10 hour shifts 7:00-5:30 x 4 days per week (Rotating weekday off determined by manager) or 8 hour shifts 9:00-5:30 x 5 days per week.\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPosition Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD70463A\nRecruitment Incentive: Authorized for highly qualified individuals\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]