Surgical Technician

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.

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
Position Description Title/PD#: Surgical Technician/PD12658A
Virtual: This is not a virtual position

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/20/2026.


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.

Preferred Experience: 1 year OR experience required or 2 years OR experience preferred. Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) certification preferred.

In addition to meeting the IOR above, you must meet the experience/education as described below:GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade lever GS-06. 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/.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.