The Medical Supply Technician position is located within the Supply, Processing and Distribution (SPD) Department of Nursing Service Section, at the VA Medical Center, Martinsburg, West Virginia. The purpose of this position is to provide wards, clinics, operating room and other hospital facilities with sterile and non-sterile medical supplies, instruments, instrument sets and equipment. This position specializes in the decontamination, packaging, and sterilization processes which provide support to the Operating Room, Dental Service, Respiratory Therapy, medical areas and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's). Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Collects, processes, decontaminates, disinfects and sterilizes, medical equipment;
• Ensures that all medical equipment throughout a medical center is clean, operational, and distributed appropriately per the needs and requirements of each medical unit;
• Removes gross contamination by soaking in a germicide, washing with a detergent-blood solvent, scrubbing with a brush;
• Chooses and utilizes appropriate cleaning method and cleaning agent for each instrument, endoscopic and surgical;
• Utilizes the appropriate equipment to assure decontamination has taken place;
• Inspects each item to assure contamination has been removed;
• Packages items or assembles sets or trays;
• Examines medical supply items for damage, deterioration, or imperfections such as rust, pitting, and cracks;
• Performs leak tests endoscopic instruments prior to processing;
• Operates steam cleaning equipment and washers in the decontamination process;
• Operates medical equipment to determine whether it operates correctly after re-assembly;
• Operates scope washer/disinfector efficiently to provide needed endoscopes to the Operating Room;
• Selects and utilizes the proper cleaning and sterilizing agents and techniques to process each type of equipment.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• May be required to serve a probationary period.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as standing for prolonged periods of time, carrying medical supply items weighing up to 50 pounds, frequent bending and stretching/reaching, and pushing fully -loaded medical supply cart weighing as much as 750 pounds which must be negotiated up inclines and over rises, or positioning them on sterilizer track rails. The work requires dexterity in such tasks as precisely aligning component parts while reassembling medical equipment. Tension and stress are induced by the critical nature of producing work results critical to patient care on pre-established time frames and in emergent situations. On a regular and recurring basis, the work involves alternating between a contaminated environment, with its' own exposure risks and discomforts, and a carefully controlled clean environment. Both areas have their own special clothing requirements, which can be uncomfortably warm. Work environment in the decontamination area consists of daily exposure to blood and body fluids, exposure to items contaminated by patients with contagious diseases. Works with and near equipment that has moving parts, is noisy, generates heat and emits toxic fumes and is subject to burns from hot items, cuts from contaminated and clean instruments and dermatitis from frequent contact with cleaning agents and gloves. Regularly work around body fluids, mucous, excretions and bits of tissue, some of which is foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are often encountered while processing certain items.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-06 grade level, you must meet one of the following minimum requirements:
Experience: You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in Federal service (GS-5). Specialized experience includes experience in processing, assembling, trouble-shooting, preparing, decontamination, sterilizing, storing, and issuing sterile and unsterile medical supplies and equipment. You must possess knowledge of the technical names, general uses, physical characteristics, and operating conditions of medical supply items; knowledge of decontamination, cleaning, preparation, sterilization, and storage procedures; knowledge of aseptic techniques; and skill in operating a washer-sterilizer, ultrasonic instrument cleaners, and gas and steam sterilizers. Specialized experience may include work as an Operating Room Technician, Surgical Technician, or Medical Instrument Technician where you were responsible for performing these duties. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.
OR
Education Substitution: You must have successfully completed at least one-half year of graduate level education (9 semester hours above a Bachelor's degree) with course work that is related to the work of this position such as medical supply processing, storage, and distribution; sterile supplies, operating room, and surgical technician courses; or other fields related to the position occupation or an internship that is directly related to the work of this position as a Medical Supply Technician. Some areas that may be related to this field are nursing, medical technology, medicine, clinical laboratory, biological sciences, microbiology, etc. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total experience requirement. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Infection Control
• Medical Information
• Technical Competence
• Technical Competence

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.