Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, Federal employees of other Agencies, VHA, and U.S. Citizens NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Serves as senior expert in inventories, replenishes shortages from sterile supply, inspects for sterility integrity for instrument sets and expendable items.
• Adheres to and reports any non-compliance towards facility regulations regarding application and removal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Follows up to ensure RME rotates at the appropriate intervals, communicates needs for restocking outdated supplies, and maintains stock levels of surgical supplies and equipment.
• Rounds with supervision to ensure areas have performed daily housekeeping duties to ensure environment of care is maintained.
• Coordinates needs for stocking individual surgical case carts with required instruments for each scheduled and emergency operative procedure.
• Ensures staff operates automation equipment according to facility procedure to prepare, store, retrieve or process information.
• Trains new and/or lower graded employees at the request of supervision.

Decontamination:

• Coordinates the assignments given by the supervisor to receive a full range of reusable medical supplies, instruments and equipment.
• Adheres to and reports any non-compliance facility regulations regarding application and removal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Ensures staff decontaminates reusable items by determining the appropriate method for removing gross contamination by means of manual cleaning procedures.
• Reviews adherence of staff in relation to disassembly, decontamination, and infection control practices of items in accordance with facility protocol.
• Ensures staff operate automated reprocessing equipment such as the ultrasonic cleaner and washer/disinfectors in accordance with facility protocol.
• Monitors High-Level Disinfection (HLD) procedures by means of manual and automated processes while following the device(s) IFU's.
• Performs random quality audits by examining items and instruments for damage, deterioration or imperfection.
• Provides assistance in first echelon maintenance and/or troubleshooting reprocessing equipment.

Assembly and Sterilization:

• Ensures that staff follow all device specific Instructions for Use (IFU) and set forth Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) while conducting assembly and sterilization procedures.
• Conducts rounds to review staff adheres to facility regulations regarding application and removal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Ensures quality checks for damaged or missing items of all instrument sets and arranges for replacements, maintenance, or repair as needed.
• Coordinates the workflow for assembly to include prioritization form a variety of sterilization phases.
• Ensures that daily spore testing and sterilizer control measures as it relates to quality assurance principles of sterilization and elimination of cross contamination and determines whether items are free of microorganisms.
• Monitors and reports biological testing for each sterilization cycle.
• Researches, recommends, and applies the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Federal Drug Administration (FDA) standards as they pertain to sterile processing and the distribution of medical supplies.

Work Schedule: Typically Monday-Friday, Various schedules that may include off-tours, weekends, holidays and on call. Will be discussed during the interview process and are subject to change based on Agency needs.
Compressed/Flexible:Not available
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not available
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
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 #:00944F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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 evaluation.
• 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: Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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
  (2) 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
  (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• Certification: None.
• 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.

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: Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

GS-07Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, such as: disassembling the reusable medical equipment and determining the correct cleaning method; inspects, assembles and determines the correct method and packaging for sterilization.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
- Ability to instruct staff on the correct procedures and protocols for completing assignments
- Skill in communicating with staff to ensure compliance with written directives, rules and regulations.
- Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
- Knowledge of sterility principles in order to instruct staff on decontamination procedures.
- Ability to lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments.

Preferred Experience: None above KSA;s

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 07.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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.

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

Current permanent VA employees of the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks
All other VA employees
Current Permanent Federal employees of other agencies
All other applicants