This is a Medical Supply Technician (MST) position for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) of the Eastern Colorado Health Care System- Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center located in Aurora, Colorado. The primary purpose of the technician is to clean, decontaminate, inspect, and perform quality assurance, inventory, prepare instruments for sterilization, and sterilize and/or disinfect medical instruments, surgical instruments and other RMD's.

Duties

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Supply Aide and Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Medical-Supply-Aide-Career-Flyer.pdf Duties: 1. Collects and receives all used, soiled reusable critical and semi-critical RMD, utilizing proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures to prevent cross-contamination of other equipment and personnel during the collection and transport of the soiled RMD. 2. Responsible for the systematic manual and automated cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of instrumentation and medical equipment according to strict manufacturer instructions. 3. Responsible for the proper disassembly of technical medical instrumentation and equipment, where internal parts may become contaminated, which requires dexterity, skill, careful positioning of parts, and the elimination of any bioburden. 4. Independently responsible for the proper operation of a variety of automated cleaning and disinfection equipment, to include washer/disinfector, ultrasonic machines, automated endoscope reprocessors, and electrical conductivity testing devices. 5. During instrument tray assembly, technician is responsible for determining proper instrument selection, instrument function/operation, need for instrument protection, and arrangement of items to ensure effective penetration of the sterilant. Some instruments, due to size, delicacy, sharpness, and/or cost, require specialized handling and additional protective actions to ensure they are not damaged. 6. Independently determines proper packaging method, based upon size, number and weight of the assembled items, and labels these items appropriately. 7. Determines appropriate method of sterilization and attaches chemical indicator tape to package. 8. Sterilizes items comparing control tests to determine that correct parameters (e.g., time, temperature, and pressure) were obtained. 9. Removes items from washer sterilizers and determines type of tray or set to assemble based on recognition of key items and the operating room or clinic schedules. 10.Examines items to ensure that gross contamination has been removed. 11. Assembles sets and trays by selecting appropriate tray, lining it with a towel, and arranging instruments in the tray in the correct manner. 13. Places devices in the tray, selects correct wrapping for the tray, and wraps and labels tray. 14. Selects correct sterilizing medium and cycles and operates sterilizer. 15. Monitors operation of sterilizer with prescribed tests. 16. Oversees the work of lower grade employees in prep and decontamination areas. Quality Assurance: 17. Responsible for thorough inspection for cleanliness, damage, deterioration, or imperfections such as rust, pitting and cracks that could affect the quality of patient care. 18. Responsible for ensuring that the items function properly and must be knowledgeable of the purpose and proper usage of medical instrumentation. Performing manual quality testing on endoscopes and instrumentation. 19. Responsible for ensuring that quality assurance testing for the effectiveness of the equipment operation is completed and documented to include mechanical, chemical, and biological monitoring. 20. Conforms to and ensures that all safety and infection control rules, regulations, and requirements (e.g., dress code and traffic control procedures) in both the decontamination and preparation areas are followed by all personnel working in, or entering, the work area. 21. Completes Quality feedback and JPSR as indicated by circumstances. Work Schedule: 11:00am-7:30pm 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) 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 #: 554-56362-A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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: 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, this part. Experience and/or Education: 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 Determination: GS-07 (Advanced Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Detailed knowledge of complex surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. Ability to assemble specialty operating room and clinic instrument sets. In-depth knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing in order to convey information and thoughts to others. Assignment. The Advanced MST assembles highly complex instrument sets including, but not limited to, open heart, major orthopedic total joint, cardiovascular, craniotomy and complex endoscopic instrumentation. Processes all complex endoscopic instrumentation to include those medical devices used in the gastroenterology laboratory, bronchoscopy laboratory, urology and operating room. Reviews manufacturer guidelines to ensure the correct methods and parameters are followed when cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing RME. Troubleshoots and analyzes 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. Preferred Experience: Endoscope reprocessing and HLD References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G47 The full performance level of this vacancy is 7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a 7. 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 MST (Entry Level) 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 standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as 30 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.

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 Eastern Colorado HCS Denver 13611 E. Colfax Ave Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: VISN 19 HR Contact Center
• Phone: 719-227-4600
• Email: [email protected]