Health Technician (Surgical)

Tacoma, Washington
Full-time Security Clearance: Not Required
Application Deadline:
2026-08-31
Posted:
2026-08-17

About 2 weeks left

Salary: $56,715 – $73,731 per year (GS-7)

Salary context

Based on 180 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role pays above most similar positions.

Job Details

Position Overview

About the Position: This position serves as an Inpatient Labor and Delivery Operating Room Health Technician (Surgical) in a Medical Treatment Facility, responsible for presurgical, surgical, postsurgical, and equipment and operating maintenance.

This is a Direct Hire Solicitation

A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized.
Advanced in hire may be authorized.
Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.

Duties

  • Verify patient identity, pre-op meds, and removal of jewelry, dentures, and prosthetics before transport; position and secure patient for surgery while providing reassurance.
  • Prepare and organize instruments and supplies based on surgeon preference and procedure needs, primary focus on cesarean sections and other obstetric/GYN procedures.
  • Anticipate surgeon’s instrument needs and assist with counts and dressing application.
  • Obtain and open sterile supplies, set up equipment, and assist anesthesia throughout surgery.
  • Record surgery details and make sure sterile technique is followed at all times.
  • Clean and disinfect operating room , process instrument, restock supplies, and perform basic equipment maintenance.
  • Sterilize, inspect, label, and store instrument trays while maintaining required documentation.

Qualifications & Requirements

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience that includes assisting with the assembly of surgical instruments and equipment; preparing supplies for specific surgical procedures; and cleaning the operating room and sterilizing instruments. This experience is consistent with duties typically performed at the GS-06 level in federal service.

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • This position may include shift work or rotating shifts (day shift, night shift and holidays and/or weekends).
  • The duties of this position require to be on call.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Red Cross. Advanced certification (e.g., ALS) does not supersede BLS.
  • This position may require moderate to heavy lifting up to 40 pounds.
  • This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
  • This position is a Testing Designated Position subject to pre-employment screening and random drug testing. Selectees will be required to consent to participate in random drug urinalysis testing.
  • This position is Mission Essential.
  • In the event of severe weather conditions or other emergency situations (natural or man-made disaster) the incumbent may be required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
  • Incumbent will undergo a specific initial background checks, investigation and periodic re-verification check of multiple agency records to obtain and maintain a suitable determination to occupy a position having regular contact with children.
  • This position requires regular contact with children under the age 18 and a favorable determination of suitability to do so.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:
  • Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
  • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
  • The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/31/2026to receive consideration.
  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034383).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section.
  • You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.