SURGICAL TECHNICIAN

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SURGICAL TECHNICIAN

Salary

$51,756.00 - $69,756.00 Annually

Location

Los Angeles County, CA

Job Type

Full time

Job Number

Y5111M

Department

HEALTH SERVICES

Opening Date

02/03/2016

Position/Program Information

 


OPEN COMPETITIVE JOB OPPORTUNITY

EXAM NUMBER: Y5111M

 

REBULLETIN INFORMATION:

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A REBULLETIN TO ADD INFORMATION ABOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES AND ITS MISSION, DELETE CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS; UPDATE CERTIFICATE AND LICENSE INFORMATION, SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION,  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION, APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER STATEMENT, COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES STATEMENT, ADD FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE, UPDATE ADA COORDINATOR TELEPHONE NUMBER, AND AMEND THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE.

ORIGINAL FILING START DATE: 02/04/16

THIS EXAMINATION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE ARE MET AND IS SUBJECT TO CLOSE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. 

ABOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES 

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its integrated system of 25 health centers and four acute hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for 600,000 unique patients, employs over 23,000 employees, and has an annual budget of over $6.9 billion. 

 

Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re- entry, each with a critical role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings to supportive housing. 

 

For additional information regarding DHS, please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov 

 

MISSION 

To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care. 


DEFINITION:
Serves as a scrub technician in an operating room and provides direct and indirect care to patients before, during, and after surgery.

Essential Job Functions

  • Monitors and continually assess' operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.
  • Sets up operating room prior to surgery by obtaining and checking equipment, instruments, packs and supplies needed in surgery, according to nursing protocol; prepares and processes instrument trays and other supplies as needed.
  • Correctly verifies solutions, drugs, and drainage tubes with circulating nurse and labels them accordingly.
  • Assists in maintaining and labeling specimens collected during surgery according to the established procedures.
  • Serves as a scrub technician during a variety of surgical procedures, handling sterile instruments and supplies while maintaining aseptic technique.
  • Cleans, sorts, sterilizes, and decontaminates operating room, equipment as well as instruments utilizing sterilizer, ultrasonic, and Steris; disposes of waste and soiled supplies in appropriate receptacle.
  • Assembles, operates, adjusts, and monitors support equipment such as suction machines, scopes, diagnostic equipment and lights to ensure proper operation.
  • Under direction of a surgeon, assists with suctioning, cutting sutures, and applying and removing dressings for operative procedures according to established policies and procedures.
  • Counts sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments before surgery, before closure, during closure, and after surgery to ensure all surgical supplies are accounted for, in accordance with established policies and procedures.
  • Maintains files and records of surgical procedures.
  • Transports patients to and from perioperative services and/or medical wards and assists the surgeon and registered nurse in positioning, prepping, and draping patients for surgery.

Requirements

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Two years of experience in an operating room assisting surgeons and medical staff during surgery.

-OR-

2. Graduation from an accredited surgical technology program.*

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
*Applicants must attach a legible photocopy of a diploma, certificate, or official transcript to their application at the time of filing or email the document/s to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendar days from the application filing date. The document must indicate graduation from an accredited surgical technology program. Information regarding accredited surgical technology programs may be found at the following website: https://www.caahep.org/Find-An-Accredited-Program/

Certification Required:
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers (CPR & AED) Program certification issued by the American Heart Association.

Applicants must attach a legible photocopy of their BLS certificate or e-card to their application at the time of filing or email the certificate/e-card to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendar days from application filing date. Applications submitted without required evidence of BLS certification will be rejected

No withhold or out-of-class experience will be accepted for this examination. Applicants must meet the Selection Requirements and BLS certification be valid at the time of filing.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Additional credit will be given to applicants who possess the following desirable qualifications in excess of the Selection Requirements:

  • Current certification issued by The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for surgical technologists (CST).**
  • Additional experience in an operating room assisting surgeons and medical staff during surgery.
LICENSE- A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS III- Moderate; Includes standing or walking most of the time, with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, and reaching; includes working on irregular surfaces, occasionally lifting objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.
 
CERTIFICATE AND LICENSE INFORMATION:

**Certification issued by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for surgical technologists (CST) will be verified using the following website: http://nbstsa.org/

Please ensure the Certificates and Licenses Section is completed. Provide the title(s) of your certificate(s), the certificate number(s), date(s) of issue, date(s) of expiration and the name(s) of the issuing agency for each certificate.

In order to receive credit for certification for CST, applicants must attach a legible photocopy of the certificate to their application at the time of filing or email the document to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendar days from the application filing date.

Required license(s) and/or certification(s) must be active and unrestricted, or your application will not be accepted. Additionally, in order to receive credit for license(s) and/or certification(s) in relation to any desirable qualifications, the license(s) and/or certification(s) must be active and unrestricted.

If you are unable to attach documents to your application, you must email the document to the Exam Analyst, Luz Pascual at lpascual@dhs.lacounty.gov within seven (7) calendar days of filing online. Please include your full name as it appears on your application, the exam number, and the exam title.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:
This exam will consist of an evaluation of education, training, and experience based upon the application information, desirable qualifications, and supplemental questionnaire responses, weighted 100%.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination in order to be added to the eligible register.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

The names of candidates receiving a passing grade on the examination will be added to the eligible register and will appear in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.


No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve (12) months.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

VACANCY INFORMATION:
The resulting eligible register from this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Health Services as they occur.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED ONLINE ONLY.  APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY U.S. MAIL, FAX, OR IN PERSON WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Applications electronically received after 5:00 p.m., PT on the last day of filing will not be accepted

 
Apply online by clicking the green "Apply" tab for this posting.  You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Applicants may be required/prompted to verify their email address when logging on to file an application. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com.careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This feature is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Requirements. Provide any relevant education, training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job.  DO NOT GROUP YOUR EXPERIENCE.  For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your position title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and detailed description of work performed.  If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • All information is subject to verification.  We may reject your application at any time during the examination and hiring process, including after appointment has been made.  Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment.
  • Utilizing VERBIAGE from the Class Specification and Selection Requirements to serve as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the Requirements. Comments such as "See Résumé" or referencing other unsolicited materials/documents will not be considered as a response; in doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED. 

 

Please note that the DHS requires applicants to show that they perform the specified duties listed on the posted Requirements as their principal work activity. It is recommended that you provide your work experience using statements that provide the following three components: ACTION/S you took, the CONTEXT in which you took that/those action/s, and the BENEFIT that was realized from that/those actions. Include specific reference to the impact you made in the positions you have held.


SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: 

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal Law requires that all employees have a Social Security Number.
 
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES: 

For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
 

LA County Public Library has announced they are reopening some libraries with limited hours access throughout LA County. Refer to their website at https://lacountylibrary.org/reopening/ for more information.


NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD: All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

 

FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE: 

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individual assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE
(323) 914-6365

CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONE
800-735-2922

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Luz Pascual, Exam Analyst
E-mail: Lpascual@dhs.lacounty.gov
HR ESC Phone Number: (213) 288-7000

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

Employment Information

Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.

Your Responsibilities:

1. Completing Your Application:

a. Before submission of the application, it is your responsibility to ensure that all information provided is correct and complete on the application. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted.

b. List each payroll title separately for each job. Do not group your experience. Specify the beginning and ending dates for each job. If you are a Los Angeles County employee and have held multiple positions, do NOT list all of your time with the County under your present payroll title.

c. Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

d. To receive credit, include required documents (e.g., copy of your diploma, transcript, certificate, or license) as directed on the job posting. International degrees in a foreign language must be translated to English and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. Refer to the job posting for specific deadlines for supporting documentation.

2. Requirements on Job Posting:

a. Your application will only be accepted if it clearly shows you meet the requirements. The information you give will determine your eligibility and is subject to verification at any time.

b. You must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment unless other age limits are stated on the job posting. The Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of age for any individual age 40 or older.

c. Experience is evaluated on the basis of a verifiable 40- hour week, unless specified otherwise. Prorated part-time experience may be acceptable.

3. Application Deadline: All job applications must be completed and submitted before the closing time on the last day of the filing period as indicated on the job posting unless other instructions are provided. Job postings with an open continuous filing period are subject to closure without prior notice. It is to your advantage to file your application early and not wait until the last allowable date and time as you will not be able to apply once the filing period has closed.

4. Change of Name or Address: To change personal information such as your name or address, log into your profile on www.governmentjobs.com and make the necessary change. This can be done at any time.

5. Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy:

a. It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. b. If you are an individual requesting reasonable accommodation(s) in the examination process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. The provision of accommodation(s) may be subject to verification, consistent with state and federal law. All accommodation-related information will remain confidential.

Disclaimer: The County of Los Angeles is not responsible or in any way liable for any computer hardware or software malfunction that may affect the employment application or the application selection process.

You assume all responsibility and risk for the use of this system and the Internet generally. This system and the information provided on it are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. No advice or information given by the County of Los Angeles or its respective employees shall modify the foregoing or create any warranty.

The County of Los Angeles expressly disclaims any warranty that the information on this system or on the Internet generally will be uninterruptible or error free or that any information, software or other material accessible from the system is free of viruses or other harmful components. You shall have no recourse against the County of Los Angeles as the system provider for any alleged or actual infringement of any proprietary rights a user may have in anything posted or retrieved on our system.

The County of Los Angeles shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the use of this system or with the delay or inability to use it (or any linked sites), or for any information obtained through this system, or otherwise arising out of the use of this system, the Internet generally or on any other basis.

NOTE: Your application is submitted using Secure Encryption to ensure the privacy of all information you transmit over the Internet.

By accepting the Use Disclaimer set forth herein, you agree to all of the above terms and further agree to use this Online Job Employment Application System only for the submission of bona fide employment applications to the County of Los Angeles. Any other use of this Online Job Employment Application System, including without limitation any copying, downloading, translating, decompiling, or reverse engineering of the system, data, or related software, shall be a violation of the Use Disclaimer.

Test Preparation: Study Guides and other resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. An interactive system for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at https://hr.lacounty.gov/. Additional resources may be listed on the job posting. 

Veteran’s Credit: In all open competitive examinations, a veteran’s credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examinations will be added to the final passing grade of an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under any of the following conditions: During a declared war; -or- During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; -or- During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on August 31, 2010 the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom; -or- In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal or expeditionary medal has been authorized and awarded. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti qualifies for credit.

A campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980 (or began active duty on or after October 14, 1982, and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty) must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty.

This also applies to the spouse of such person who, while engaged in such service was wounded, disabled or crippled and thereby permanently prevented from engaging in any remunerative occupation, and also to the widow or widower of any such person who died or was killed while in such service. A DD214, Certificate of Discharge or Separation from Active Duty, or other official documents issued by the branch of service are required as verification of eligibility for Veterans preference. Applicants must submit the documentation for each open competitive exam to qualify for veteran’s credit. More information available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide-for-hr-professionals/

Accreditation Information: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies that are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). More information is available at: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf and http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205105_PPG_123_AC E_Resource_Guide.pdf

Background Check: The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Career Planning: Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at https://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov/#/.

Benefit Information: Depending on the position, the successful candidate will enroll in a contributory defined benefit pension plan if the candidate is a “new member” of the County’s defined benefit plan (LACERA) on or after January 1, 2013 (first employed by the County on or after December 1, 2012) – unless she or he established reciprocity with another public retirement system in which she or he was a member before January 1, 2013. It should be noted that County employees do not pay into Social Security, but do pay the Medical Hospital Insurance Tax portion of Social Security at a rate of 1.45%. The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) has reciprocal agreements with several public retirement systems in California.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: All positions are open to qualified men and women. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons with disabilities who believe they need reasonable accommodation, or help in order to apply for a position, may contact the ADA/Personnel Services for Disabled Persons Coordinator. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. The County will attempt to meet reasonable accommodation requests whenever possible.

Equal Employment Opportunity: It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. All positions are open to qualified men and women pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The County will comply with all of its obligations under State and Federal laws regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations to applicants. 

Los Angeles County Child Support Compliance Program: In an effort to improve compliance with court ordered child, family and spousal support obligations, certain employment and identification information (i.e., name, address, Social Security number and date of hire) is regularly reported to the State Directory of New Hires which may assist in locating persons who owe these obligations. Family Code Section 17512 permits under certain circumstances for additional employment and identifying information to be requested. Applicants will not be disqualified from employment based on this information.

Social Security Act of 2004: Section 419 (c) of Public Law 108-203, the Social Security Protection Act of 2004, requires State and local government employers to disclose the effect of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset Provision to employees hired on or after January 1, 2005, in jobs not covered by Social Security. The County of Los Angeles does not participate in the Social Security System. All newly hired County of Los Angeles employees must sign a statement (Form SSA-1945) prior to the start of employment indicating that they are aware of a possible reduction in their future Social Security benefit entitlement. For more information on Social Security and about each provision, you may visit the website www.socialsecurity.gov, or call toll free 1-800-772- 1213. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the TTY number 1-800-325-0778 or contact a local Social Security office.

Employment Eligibility Information: Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States. Immigration law provides that all persons hired after November 6, 1986, are required to present original documents to the County, within three (3) business days of hiring, which show satisfactory proof of 1) identity and 2) U.S. employment eligibility.

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 commencing with Section 12900 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) the Regulations of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Division 4, Sections 7285.0 through 8504) and other applicable laws prohibit employment discrimination based on an applicant's protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, childbirth, and other characteristics.

COVID-19 VACCINATION: Some County workforce members may be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Successful candidates for those positions/classifications may be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccination until instructed to do so by the hiring department.

 

Updated February 2024

For detailed information, please click here

01
The information you provide on this supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and used to determine your eligibility to participate in the next phase of the examination process. Please be advised that failure to provide the correct information in the application and the application supplemental questionnaire may result in disqualification of your application even if you possess the qualifying experience or education. Please be as specific as possible and include all information as requested. Comments such as "see resume or application" will not be in the examination and hiring process. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or dismissal.
  • I understand the above information and instructions.
02
Do you have at least two (2) years of experience in an operating room assisting surgeons and medical staff during surgery? If yes, please provide the following information for each employer from which you gained such experience: name of employer, from and to dates (MM/YYYY) to (MM/YYY), name of supervisor, and detailed description of the duties performed. If no, please respond N/A.
03
Did you graduate from an accredited surgical technology program? If yes, please be sure to complete the education section of the application and attach a legible photocopy of a diploma, certificate, or official transcript to your application or email a copy of the document/s to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendar days of submitting application.
  • Yes
  • No
04
Do you have a current Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers (CPR & AED) program certification issued by the American Heart Association? If yes, please be sure to complete the certificates and licenses section of the application and attach a legible copy to your online application or email a copy of the certificate/e-card to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendar days of submitting application.
  • Yes
  • No
05
Do you have a current certification as a Surgical Technologist (CST) issued by The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA)? If yes, please be sure to complete the certificates and licenses section of the application and attach a legible copy of the certificate to the Exam Analyst within seven (7) calendars days of submitting application.
  • Yes
  • No
06
Many important notifications including test invitation and results notices will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add lpascual@dhs.lacounty.gov and info@governmentaljobs.com to you email address book and to the list of approved senders to prevent email notification from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail. Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notifications for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into government jobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices. It is the applicant's responsibility to take the above steps to view correspondence. Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notifications to be a valid reason for a late test administration, re-scheduling, or extension of appeal rights period.
  • I HAVE READ THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS.

Required Question

Agency
County of Los Angeles
Address
******************

Los Angeles, California, 90010