Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates {Current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities). The first Area Of Consideration (AOC) is current, permanent employees of the West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System and satellite offices. 2nd AOC - Department of Veteran Affairs Employees. 3rd AOC - Status Eligible (Transfers, Reinstatements, VEOA, Certain Military Spouses, etc.), VRA, 30% Disabled Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities.

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Primary Duties:
- Perform primary scrub duties for diverse surgical specialties
- Prepare, organize, and maintain sterile fields, instruments, and equipment
- Anticipate surgeon needs and support all phases of surgical procedures
- Adhere to infection control standards and handle specimens appropriately
- Assist with patient positioning, preparation, and procedural support
- Maintain OR equipment, supplies, and safe work areas
- Support staff training, collaboration, and quality improvement
- Comply with VA policy, aseptic standards, and patient privacy requirements

Work Schedule: 7:00am - 3:30pm on call nights, weekends, and holidays
Telework: Not eligible for Telework
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD03055A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Relocation/Recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/06/2026.

Preferred Experience:
- Certified Surgical Technologist (CST or TS-C) with an accredited Associate Degree, or completion of a recognized surgical technician program
- Minimum of 3 years of hands-on surgical technology experience (1-3 years of hospital experience strongly preferred)
- Demonstrated proficiency with robotic platforms, including MAKO and DaVinci systems
- Clinical experience across multiple service lines such as ophthalmology, endovascular procedures, and orthopedics

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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to, performing primary scrub duties across multiple surgical specialties; preparing and maintaining sterile fields and complex instrument sets; anticipating surgeon needs during routine and advanced procedures; applying aseptic and infection control principles; managing and troubleshooting surgical equipment; handling and verifying specimens; assisting with patient positioning and procedural preparation; maintaining OR readiness and safety; collaborating with surgical, nursing, SPS, logistics, and vendor staff; utilizing surgical databases and adhering to VA, RME, and policy requirements; and responding appropriately to perioperative changes and emergent situations..

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Infection Control
• Information Assurance
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Effectiveness
• Interpersonal Skills
• Organizational Awareness
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

Physical Requirements: The position requires long periods of standing, walking, bending, and stooping. The incumbent must lift, carry, and move moderately heavy items and assist with patient transfers. Duties require holding retractors and maintaining awkward positions for extended periods. The role demands manual dexterity for handling instruments and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, high-stress surgical environment with exposure to bodily fluids, chemicals, and radiation, using appropriate protective equipment.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.