Surgical Technician

Full Job Description

The New Mexico VA Healthcare Network is recruiting for a Surgical Technician assigned to the Operating Room.

The incumbent is a member of the surgical team and provides assistance to the surgeon and other healthcare team members during surgical procedure and perioperative preparation of these procedures.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/17/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

This position has an Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR).

You must meet the following: Possess technician experience that requires application of knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

(This position is part of the series that range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists.) In addition to meeting the IOR above, you must meet the experience/education as described below:GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade lever GS-05.

Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: setting up equipment for procedures; performing personal patient care; utilizing an automated system to maintain and retrieve patient data; assisting with patient test and procedures; and answering phones and directing phone calls to appropriate personal.

OR Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 year of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

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 (1) year of full-time study.

If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the (1) year of full-time study requirement.

Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and education that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of the position.

The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07.

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.

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/.

Major Duties:

Duties include but not limited to: Function as primary scrub person responsible for handling instruments, supplies, and equipment during all surgical procedures.

Prepare, organize, and maintain highly complex sterile surgical setups.

Assist in training residents, medical students, nursing students, and new OR staff in the operations of equipment, sterile technique, handling of instruments, and OR procedures to include the scrub role in surgical procedures.

Assists he surgeon and other healthcare team members during surgical procedures. Plans and discusses each procedure with surgical professionals.

Work Schedule: 6:30am-5:00pm; rotating day off; variable on call requirement Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD12658A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Physical Requirements: Duties regularly require providing manual assistance in lifting and positioning patients, most of which are stages of unconsciousness.

There are extensive periods of regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, reaching, and prolonged stretching to provide easy accessibility or instruments and supplies for the surgeon.

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.