Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Please select the statement below that best describes your education and/or experience to meet the specific qualification requirements for this position. 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 .In addition to the IOR, candidates must meet the specialized experience below: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: working in an operating room and setting up a sterile field with all required items for surgical procedures (i.e., air-powered equipment, fiber optic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, microscopes, lasers, arthroscopy equipment, urologic equipment, recording devices, and other operating room (OR) supplies and equipment, etc.); use proper sterilization and cleaning techniques on instruments and equipment; and assist surgeon by performing such procedures such as skin grafts, suctioning, holding retractors, applying skin staples and cutting sutures. 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. **The preferred candidate would have completed Surgical Technician School or an equivalent.** OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: At grades GS-5 and above, a portion of the education is usually directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of related courses are provided in the individual occupational requirements where applicable. However, agencies may require other courses if they are considered to be more related to the position to be filled. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. 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 Combination of Experience & Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equal combination of specialized experience and graduate education. (Transcripts Required). 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/.