Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens.

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This is a Lead Medical Supply Technician (MST) level position. In this position, the Lead MST will provide sterilization, preparation, supply items and reusable medical equipment decontamination and distribution support. The incumbent may monitor the status and progress of work and making day to day adjustments in accordance with established policies. The incumbent will maintain a current knowledge and answer questions of other employees related to procedures, policies, and directives. The Lead MST will train or arrange training for team members in the accomplishment of tasks or projects and give on the job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices. Monitors and reports on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to see that the supervisor's instructions on priorities, methods, deadlines and qualify assurance have been met.

Productivity based on expectations of service line.

• Works with the Assistant Chief, and/or Supervisor, SPS, in the assignment of functions to team members in order to meet routine and unusual deadlines and priorities.
• Distributes and balances workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established workflow, job specialization and/or capabilities of individual.
• Is a working Lead Technician, responsible for filling in and for distributing the workload in case of personnel shortages or short notice priorities, to ensure a smooth workflow.
• Ensures timely accomplishment of assigned tasks, and ensures that each employee has enough work to keep busy.
• When necessary, revises work schedule to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload.
• Assigns work to employees or assigns employees to position. Breaks out tasks as necessary to provide new employees with the experience and training required to perform the task.
• Assigns work, disagreeable or choice tasks, etc., equitably among employees.
• Explains work requirements, methods and procedures, as needed, giving special instructions on difficult or different operations and answering technical questions about the task.
• Monitors status and progress of work and makes day-to-day adjustments in accordance with established priorities.
• Maintains a current knowledge and answers questions of other employees relating to procedures, policies and directives.
• Trains or arranges for the training of team members in the accomplishment of tasks or projects. Gives on-the-job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices.
• Monitors and reports on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to see that the supervisor's instructions on priorities, methods, deadlines and qualify assurance have been met.
• Obtains assistance and/or needed information from the supervisory staff on problems that may arise or backlogs that cannot be disposed of promptly.
• Amends or rejects work not meeting established standards.
• Refers questions or matters not covered by standards and problems in meeting performance standards to the supervisory staff.
• Checks the cleaning, reprocessing and distribution of technical medical equipment, materiel and instrumentation as deemed appropriate to assess the quality and quantity of work produced by each employee. Ensures that items are safe to use, delivered on time at the proper place, and in the correct condition to be properly used for VA patient care.
• Monitors working conditions such as seating, ventilation, lighting or safety.
• Contact Nursing Supervisor on call to approve emergency leave for a few hours or for emergencies in the absence of supervisory staff.
• Conducts and records competencies on individuals for the proper reprocessing of RME, following established checklists devised by supervisory staff and approved by Infection Control.
• Performs quality assurance inspections of instruments and equipment in the Sterile Preparation area of SPS prior to items being wrapped and sterilized.
• Conducts inspection of the Decontamination area of SPS to verify that proper techniques and processes are being followed by staff and that all equipment is working properly.
• Inspects to verify that all instrumentation is disassembled to the simplest form.
• Inspects all instrumentation for cleanliness and to assure that it is in good working order, checking lock boxes, alignment, sharpness and general operation.

Work Schedule: 5am-1:30pm, 7am-3:30pm or 3pm-11:30pm, Monday through Friday including weekends and holidays as needed.
Functional Statement #: 30468F
Telework: Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience and/or Education

• Experience. Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; or
• Education. One year above high school that included at least 6 semester hours in health care related courses such as sterile processing, nursing assistant, hospital corpsman, and operating room and surgical technician courses or other courses related to the position; or
• Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Certification. None.

Grandfathering Provision. All MSTs that are employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GS-07 Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) Grade Determinations:

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Ability to instruct staff on the correct procedures and protocols for completing assignments.
2. Skill in communicating with staff to ensure compliance with written directives, rules and regulations.
3. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
4. Knowledge of sterility principles in order to instruct staff on decontamination procedures.
5. Ability to lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments.

Assignment: The Lead MST works in support of the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) management team. Distributes and prioritizes workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Assures an even workflow and distribution of the workload. Revises work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload. Assigns work to staff based on experience and training needs. Monitors and reports on the status of work. Ensures SOPs and SPS mandates are followed during the performance of workflow. Reviews work in progress or spot checks work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines. Assesses the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material and instrumentation. Provides information to management officials concerning performance issues, assignment changes and task completion. Instructs employees on work-related activities, policies, procedures and goals.


Preferred Experience:

1. Two years minimum experience as SPS lead technician.
2. Two years minimum experience as surgical technician.
3. Ability to direct staff and manage tasks to be completed and the ability to communicate effectively as a lead technician.
4. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with end users, team leaders, and managers.
5. Knowledge of sterility principles (proficient in decon, prep & pack, GI, HLD, & sterilization)
6. Ability to work independently, manage priorities, and work assignments.
7. Expertise in identifying surgical instruments
8. Assembling complex trays (orthopedic, vascular, heart) and delicate trays (eyes)
9. Experience with DaVinci
10. Proficiency in electronic instrument tracking system (preferably CensiTrac)
11. Certifications (CBSPD, IAHCHMM, or HSPA and CIS)

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.


The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 .


Physical Requirements: This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply (preparation) and in other services and departments throughout the medical facility/campus. The incumbent may be required to work in areas that are hot, cold, drafty and poorly lighted. The employee is subject to the possibility of falls, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and other injuries from material handling equipment. The work requires pushing heavy carts, standing, and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation.

On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between a contaminated environment and a carefully controlled clean environment. The employee wears special clothing, hair covers, personal protective equipment and shoe covers that can be uncomfortably warm. The employee uses insulated gloves to remove carts from sterilizers. The employee is subject to burns from accidentally touching hot items. The hazards of working around minute quantities of sterilizing gasses are unknown. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, excretions and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or reusable medical equipment. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of pre-sterilizing equipment.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.
4. All other applicants.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.