Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. This position is one of the hybrid title 38 occupations reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and, therefore, under 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to external applicants for appointments made during the Fiscal Year 2026. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Refer to the How You Will Be Evaluated section for additional information.


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The incumbent coordinates with SPS Management, Logistics, Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) Coordinator, and SPS Quality Assurance for all new purchased and leased instrumentation. Receives, schedules, refers, and contacts members of the staff, agency, and persons outside the agency ranging from other government agencies to the general public. Additionally, this position will do correspondence and reports to RME, SPS, VISN, Services, and other Government Agencies and public corporations that deal with SPS. Knowledge of sterile processing procedures, surgical instrumentation, surgical procedures, sterility, and aseptic techniques is needed to perform the duties. Typing, computer skills and facility office software knowledge is needed to perform the duties. The position may be assigned to work as needed on other than normal working tours of duty or shifts, either in the evenings or on weekends. Such scheduling for other than normal working tours of duty will be assigned as needed by the Chief, Sterile Processing Services (SPS). Complete training coursework and VA SPS certification as required for a Sterile Processing Technician position in the VA. Maintain certification by completing approved, annual Continuing Education Units (CEU) and annual in-service hours.

The incumbent will have knowledge of the processes for Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) as required by this position. The incumbent will be required to maintain current knowledge of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Competency which document the processes and procedures for cleaning, disinfection, sterilization and preparation of RME appropriate to this position. The incumbent will be able to demonstrate their ability to utilize an acceptable proficiency in the use of RME appropriate to this position.

Frequent/Occasional Travel: This position may offer occasional travel away from the duty station to attend VHA sponsored educational training, Censis CensiTrac training or certification courses.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm No Call and/or Monday - Friday 3:30-Midnight No Call
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 50256-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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 will be required to serve a 1 or 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.
• English Language Proficiency - English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
• Experience and/or Education -
  • Experience - Six months of experience that demonstrates the 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.

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).

Grandfather Provision. A Medical Supply Technician (MST) employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (May 28, 2014) 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

1. Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
2. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
3. Employees who are converted to Title 38 Hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations: Must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-6, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities. Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: receiving contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area and may receive noncritical equipment in the decontamination area as well; disassembling the RME and determining the correct cleaning method, such as but not limited to ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washers, cart washers and chemical cleaning/decontamination agents, as determined by manufacturer instructions; inspecting, assembling and determining the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors; performing and documenting daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment.

And
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of inventory and supply principles, concepts and methodologies in order to recommend solutions to areas of SPS concerning existing policies, work procedures and work methods involving SPS automated equipment tracking systems.
• Knowledge of work and objectives in Preparation, Case Cart, Scope, and Decontamination areas of the Sterile Processing Service in order to make appropriate judgment and analysis to provide services or resolve problems concerning automated equipment tracking systems.
• Ability to search for and analyze information derived from equipment tracking systems, inventory record systems or other automated catalog systems in order to resolve issues, answer questions, provide automated equipment tracking information reports and services, and recommend actions to eliminate problems.
• Knowledge of safe, intelligent and efficient processing in a Sterile Processing Service, general knowledge of surgical procedures and techniques that cover patient care. Ability to communicate effectively with attending, residents, nursing staff, Biomed, VISN level staff and management, and vendors concerning the scheduling, inventory, and use of RME.
• Knowledge of fundamental principles and practices of surgical and medical asepsis, disinfecting process, sterilization process, and proper selection of disinfectants, microbiology, fundamental biology and human body defense.
• General knowledge of ordering and receiving supply items by generating 2237s, knowledge of replacement quotas and inventory procedures to maintain supply levels.
• Knowledge of the substantive programs of the hospital as they relate to the function of the Sterile Processing Service.
• Incumbent must be able to provide training support for all aspects of instrument tracking, maintenance, and repair. Incumbent must develop Standard Operating Procedures and other reference documents that relate to CensiTrac functions managed by this and other tracking systems. Incumbent will provide CensiTrac technical support for all end user customers serviced by the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, including Logistics, Operating Room, GI Clinic SPS, and all other using services.
• Knowledge of and skilled in the use of VA internal and external systems such as; instrument tracking systems, intranet, VISTA, SharePoint and other software programs used by the service such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Broad knowledge of "CensiTrac" instrument tracking system in order to troubleshoot, diagnose, and correct malfunctions.
• Knowledge of vast surgical instrumentation, classification, and composition for the proper identification and marking application.
• Knowledge of surgical instrument marking systems for safe application of appropriate marking technique.
• Must be adept in operating a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time.

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-7.

Physical Requirements: This work involves both administrative and physical demands and is performed in various settings: Case Cart, decontamination, preparation, GI clinic, 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, Needle Sticks, and other injuries from handling equipment. The work requires standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending, stooping, reaching, and lifting of sterile products and packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation.

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 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.

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.

Note: A current (2025) non-award SF-50 must be submitted for verification of eligibility for facility, VA and Federal Employee status.
Note: Veterans' Preference is not applicable to VA employees or employees of other Federal agencies.
Note: This position is one of the hybrid title 38 occupations reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and, therefore, under 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to external applicants for appointments made during the Fiscal Year 2026.

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.