Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent VA/Federal employees only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

The Medical Supply Technician (MST) Supervisor functions as a first-level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of MSTs, with administrative responsibility for planning and directing of the work.

Other duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Being responsible for the direct supervision of day-to-day operations in Sterile Processing Services (SPS) regardless of tour of duty including Reusable Medical Devices (RMD) reprocessing for all clinical services
• Operationalizes the quality assurance program and daily practice to ensure that the right instrument in the right condition is in the right place at the right time
• Being responsible for operational deployment of a comprehensive training program for all SPS staff- this is in conjunction with the educator
• Communicating daily with customers to ensure open communication
• Assigning work to subordinates based on priorities
• Participating in interview panels and making recommendations regarding hiring decisions
• Providing recommendations and promotion and advancements of the Medical Supply Technicians on respective shifts
• Identifying developmental and training needs of employees
• Establishing guidelines and performance expectations for staff which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system
• Observing workers performance; demonstrating and conducting work performance critiques, providing feedback and evaluating employee performance
• Developing work improvement plans; recommending personal option as necessary
• Providing advice and counsel to workers related to technical work and administrative matters
• Providing training to subordinates to fully comply with provisions of safety regulations
• Making operational decisions based upon findings, observations, or problems presented by subordinate technicians and direct observation
• Advising the assistant chief nurse and chief nurse of problems in the organizations activities and provides input to the assistant chief nurse that may lead to disciplinary actions such as counseling and formal disciplinary actions within the framework of progressive discipline; recommendation may include termination especially separation during the probationary

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 5:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., or 3:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
(Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs).
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
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.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

• 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 identification 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).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one or two-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

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement.

Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements: All applicants must meet the following basic qualifications.

• United States Citizenship: Must be a US Citizen.
• Experience and/or Education
  • Experience. Six (6) months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; - OR -
  • Education. One (1) year above high school that included at least six (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.
• English Language Proficiency. MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet the following grade requirements for the specific grade level.

GS-08 Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing): Experience. At least one year of experience as an Advanced Level MST equivalent to the GS-07 grade level. Examples of experience include, but is not limited to work in which you: assemble highly complex instrument sets including, but not limited to, open heart, major orthopedic total joint, cardiovascular, craniotomy and complex endoscopic instrumentation, process all complex endoscopic instrumentation to include those medical devices used in the gastroenterology laboratory, bronchoscopy laboratory, urology and operating room, review manufacturer guidelines to ensure the correct methods and parameters are followed when cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), troubleshoot and analyze mechanical failures and makes necessary adjustments to complex decontamination and sterilization equipment, as well as interprets alarm conditions which may occur while operating the equipment, Informs management and healthcare staff when cleaning and processing standard operating procedures (SOPs) or instruction for use have been changed or updated to assure the changes have been validated to meet all guidelines, etc.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Ability to manage, interact, and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds
• Ability to direct staff and manage tasks to be completed
• Ability to oversee and supervise all aspects of decontamination, preparation, sterilization, monitoring, and distribution of RME
• 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

While we no longer require essay-style responses to our KSAs, you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the KSAs that are necessary to successfully perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training you possess; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim.

Preferred Experience: These preferences are highly desired but are not required:

• Minimum five (5) years experience as Sterile Processing Services Lead Technician
• Experience with staffing, payroll, and process improvement
• Experience with DaVinci, Medivator
• Strong interpersonal skills; works well with a team
• Proficient in electronic instrument tracking system; preferably CensiTrac
• Certifications- Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD), IAHCHMM, or Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), Certified Instrument Specialist (CIS), Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER)

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

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).

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.

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.