The Lead Medical Supply Technician (MST) position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Fayetteville NC Coastal Health Care System, within the Sterile Processing Service. The Lead MST performs segments of work pertaining to the decontamination, sterilization and inspection of reusable medical equipment (RME).

Duties

ASSIGNED DUTIES FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Works in support of the Sterile Processing (SPS) Team. Keep in touch with the status and progress of work and make day to day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise. Responsible to practice in a professional manner the necessary leadership in representing, promulgating, and enforcing the standards of quality assurance, infection control, JCAHO, and other regulatory agencies. Distribute and balance the workload among employees in accordance with established workflow or assure timely accomplishment of the assigned workload and assure that each employee has enough work to keep busy with ensuring staff are able to show productivity of at least 10% per shift. Identifies needs of surgical supplies and RME to prepare surgical case carts. All items placed in a case cart must be examined for package integrity per VA and AAMI guidelines. Utilizes patient specific pick list to accurately gather surgical instruments and disposable supplies requested by attending surgeon or other Pre-Operative representatives. Inspects items during the pick process to ensure package integrity remains intact, package is within expiration date, and substitutes are appropriate. Determine and direct decontamination staff in the correct use method for decontamination of medical instruments. Reports broken equipment, instruments, and patient safety issues to the Supervisor or Management Team immediately. Works with the OR staff or RME Coordinator to ensure needed instruments are ordered and in good repair. Evaluates out of service instruments daily and communicates appropriately to the SPS Supervisor and OR Management. Acts as a training coordinator for a continuous in-service training program, assuring development of subordinates in aseptic techniques, infection control, the use of new medical supplies, instruments, and equipment, new or improved sterilization practices. Performs and validates all cleaning of instrumentation and RME using department Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), manufacturer's instructions for use guidelines, Medical Center Memorandums, and VA policies and directives. Utilizes knowledge of Censitrac tracking system. Enters and updates surgical sets list in Censitrac to include item name, manufacturer, and quantity. Ensures surgical instruments, trays, and containers have required Censitrac markings. Utilizes Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as required. Performs multi-step procedures to effectively process endoscopes, i.e., cystoscopes, ureteroscopes, colonoscopes, and other endoscopic instruments. Reads and understands Material Safety Data Sheets. Operates equipment such as Medivator Advantage Plus, Trophon EPR, Steam Sterilizers, Washer Decontaminators, Ultrasonic Washers, AER equipment irrigators, laparoscopic insulation tester, and Automatic Cart Washers, Sterrad NX100, Sterrad NX, heat sealers, tube dryers, and incubators. Interprets gauge readings and mechanical printouts on sterilization equipment to validate that sterilization of RME is within acceptable parameters. Maintains records for all sterilization procedures that are processed including interpretation of all biological monitoring, validation of monitoring results, and quality assurance checks to ensure sterilization parameters are met. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday or 6:30am-4pm or 8am-630pm Compressed/Flexible:Yes. Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not require.

Requirements

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: a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3g.) b. 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. c. Certification. None required. d. 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: 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. 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. 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. e. 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. f. Physical Requirements. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring case carts and other objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing while on duty. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on departmental needs. These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019. g. English Language Proficiency. MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: GS-07 Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. AND (b) 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: 4 years Sterile Processing Service experience and Level 2 and/or Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Certification preferred. (c) Assignment. The Lead MST works in support of the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) management team. Distributes and prioritizes workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Assures an even workflow and distribution of the workload. Revises work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload. Assigns work to staff based on experience and training needs. Monitors and reports on the status of work. Ensures SOPs and SPS mandates are followed during the performance of workflow. Reviews work in progress or spot checks work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines. Assesses the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material and instrumentation. Provides information to management officials concerning performance issues, assignment changes and task completion. Instructs employees on work-related activities, policies, procedures and goals. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/83 PART II APPENDIX G47. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Fayetteville NC VA Medical Center 2300 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 US
• Name: Shamika Parnell-Meyers
• Email: [email protected]