Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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The Chief of Sterile Processing Service (SPS) is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines that influence the organizational mission and health care of the Eastern Colorado Health Care System, a complexity 1a facility. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Administrative functions of the SPS program which includes membership on the following committees:
  • Infection Prevention/Control; Water Safety Committee (Biomedical Engineering);
  • Clinical Executive Council (CEC);
  • Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 19 Advisory Board;
  • Clinical Product Review Committee (CPRC);
  • Reusable Medical Device (RMD) Committee;
  • Environment of Care (EOC) Rounds; and
  • The Enterprise Equipment Request (EER) Committee.
• An administrator, educator, and consultant utilizing management theory in collaboration with Patient Care Service (PCS) and other services.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with all levels of medical center personnel and relate effectively with customers, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels.
• Plays a leadership role in ongoing systematic evaluation and improvement of quality and effectiveness of SPS program outcomes.
• Responsible for assessing, monitoring, developing, and implementing corrective action plans for instrument processing, decontamination, sterilization, storage, biological monitoring, and high-level disinfection monitoring through an SPS Quality Management System.
• Maintains oversight and availability for consultation of non-critical RMD.
• Has knowledge in areas of patient care practices, microbiology, asepsis, disinfection/sterilization process, adult education, infectious diseases, communication, program administration and epidemiology.
• Has responsibility and oversight of evidence-based practice (EBP) infection control relating to sterile processing standards.
• Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and safe, infection-free health care. Serves as the subject matter expert for all SPS activities and provides consultation when called upon.
• The scope of the SPS department is wide-reaching and the consultative information provided to executive leadership impacts the healthcare system at all levels (local, regional, and national).
• Collaborates in the development and implementation of policies and procedures relating to sterile processing and infection control practices throughout the healthcare system.
• Collaborates with various surgical proprietary vendors that provide instrumentation that allows the agency to maintain inventory par levels that support the complex surgical cases.
• Forecast supply and demand of highly specialized surgical instrumentation especially when our facility competes with other healthcare systems in our region (private sector facilities).
• Chairs the Hospital RMD Committee (Complexity 1a) and provides reports to both VISN and the National Program Office for Sterile Processing regularly.
• Directs multi-service leadership and staff in the development and maintenance of SOPs for the sterilization and decontamination of all facility RMD.
• Supports the integration and collaboration of sterile processing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with all levels of Veteran Affairs (VA) staff, local and nationwide.

Medical Supply Aide and Technician: Total Rewards flyer

Work Schedule: 7:30 to 4:00, Monday to Friday
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 610890
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
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 as required.
• 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.
• Experience and/or Education:
• 1. Experience. Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; or education.
  2. 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
  3. Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
  4. 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. 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 grandfathered into the GS-622 occupational series as MSTs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance journeyman} level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation.
  2. MSTs 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. MSTs 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 reentry to the occupation.
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U. S. programs.
• English Language Proficiency: MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part (Handbook 5005).

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}.

Grade Determinations GS-10: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-09.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
1. Ability to implement and incorporate regulations, policies, and procedures to manage SPS operations.
2. Ability to evaluate new products and equipment, develop options, and make recommendations.
3. Ability to integrate SPS managerial duties, which includes strategic planning of facility organizational goals and integration of SPS vision and values within the organizational mission.
4. Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, including assigning, planning and evaluating work, recommending awards, approving leave, identifying training needs, and resolving staff issues.
5. Skill to initiate and lead interdisciplinary groups in order to facilitate daily SPS functions.
6. Ability to analyze and interpret fiscal data in order to forecast resource and equipment needs.

Preferred Experience: SPS Experience, Leadership Experience.

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

Physical Requirements: he work requires some walking and standing during a normal workday. Some lifting and carrying moderately heavy items are required occasionally. The employee will routinely alternate between a contaminated and a carefully clean environment. The Chief, SPS will be required to wear protective clothing from time to time and will be subjected to loud noises from machinery and offensive smells. If in the decontamination area where processing of contaminated equipment is done, the employee must wear scrub suits, face shields, a hair cover, gloves, gown, impervious shoe covers, and an impervious gown. The work area may be hot and humid. Unpleasant odors are frequently encountered during the processing of particular items. The work area can be quite noisy due to the clatter of metal upon metal when working with instruments and trays, the rumbling of carts and the operation of sterilizing equipment, ultrasonic cleaners, and automatic transport systems.

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.

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.