Surgical Technician

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. 

• 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.

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.

**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.

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.

• 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: 

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

Employment Information

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

This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement:
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/.

Testing Accommodations for Applicants:
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/.

Fair Chance:
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 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 and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is 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 conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Employment Eligibility:
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.

Career PathFinder:
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 http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.

Veteran’s Credit:
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf

Revised September 2025