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Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives are not approved.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/12/2022 to 08/23/2022
Salary
$28,758 to - $52,341 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 3 - 6
Location
Danville, IL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
6
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DN-11596742-22-AC
Control number
669052200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to US citizens

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Duties

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This position is organizationally aligned to Sterile Processing Service, at the VA Illiana Health Care System, Danville, IL - a Level 3 Complexity VHA Facility. The Medical Supply Technician (MST) works in support of Sterile Processing (SPS) Service to receive a full range of reusable medical equipment (RME), instruments, and supplies from hospital wards, clinics, operating rooms, and CBOCs. The primary purpose of this position is to decontaminate reusable items by determining the appropriate method for removing gross contamination in accordance with the products' manufacturer's guide.

Duties:
-Inventories, replenishes shortages of sterile instruments, inspects for sterility integrity for instrument sets and expendable items. Rotates, restocks outdated sterile supplies & instruments, and maintains stock levels of surgical instruments and equipment for wards, clinics, and the operating room. Initiates requests for items based on the daily surgical schedule of needs or individual requisitions.
-Disassembles, decontaminates, and reassembles items as required. Performs first echelon maintenance and/or troubleshoots medical equipment. Prepares & monitors equipment work orders to ensure that hospital equipment is maintained and is in proper working order.
-Maintains accurate written records of all items decontaminated and processed. Monitors and interprets chemical biological challenges processed for High Level Disinfection and each decontamination cycle. Veteran Administration Level 1 Training Certification in Decontamination and Sterilization is required.
-Assembles a wide variety of instrument trays and sets used for medical procures including the operating room. Performs daily biological 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.
-Checks for damaged or missing items and arranges for replacements, maintenance, or repair as needed. Accepts accountability for the transport, tracking, and return of items at storage locations.
-Removes soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids and other contaminants by wiping, soaking, rinsing and scrubbing.
-Inspects packages for indications of proper sterilization, assembles basic sets and trays used throughout the medical center including those used in the operating room.
-Cleans and maintains a wide variety of medical equipment; cleans interiors and exteriors of sterilizers and aerators, loading carts, delivery carts, specialty carts, isolation cart, crash cart, work area, storage shelves; using chemical solutions, detergents, and alcohol according to written procedure or ass needed to prevent cross contamination.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 08:30-5:00pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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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.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • 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).
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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: MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
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.

Grade Determinations:
GS-3 LEVEL GRADE REQUIREMENTS None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 LEVEL GRADE REQUIREMENTS
Must have completed six (6) months experience as a MST, operating room or surgical technician or other position that demonstrated knowledge of sterile processing in a clinical setting or successful completion of two years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation. Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: performing segments of work pertaining to the decontamination, sterilization, and inspection of reusable medical equipment (RME); completing segments of work pertaining to the assembly of basic sets and trays for use in the medical center; operating equipment involved in sterilization processes; preparing operating room case carts; and receiving guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)AND In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1.Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
2.Basic knowledge of medical terminology in order to assemble specialty operating room/clinic instrument sets.
3.Basic knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment
4.Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.

GS-5 LEVEL GRADE REQUIREMENTS
Must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) OR successful completion of four (4) academic years above high school leading to a Bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation or a Bachelor's degree. Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: removing soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids, and other containments by wiping, soaking, rinsing, and scrubbing; inspecting packages for indications of proper sterilization, assembling basic sets and trays used throughout the medical center including those used in the operating room; preparing loads, and operating sterilizers such as steam, Sterrad, Steris, and a high level disinfecting scope reprocessor; preparing operating room case carts daily using surgery schedule; receiving guidance from more experienced staff members for more complex tasks and require direct supervision on new assignments. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)AND In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1.Basic knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
2.Basic knowledge of event-related packaging in regards to sterility.
3.Knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.

GS-6 LEVEL GRADE REQUIREMENTS
Must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5). To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-5, 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, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors; performing and documenting daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1.Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
2.Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
3.Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions and procedures.
4.Knowledge of sterility principles in regards to instrumentation.
5.Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures.

References: VA Handbook 5005/76, Part II, Appendix G47. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: The work requires proper body mechanics when standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages/instrument trays (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation.

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-3 to GS-6.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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, résumé, 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.

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.

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