The incumbent will work as a Medical Supply Technician in the Sterile Processing Service.

Duties

The technician receives contaminated instruments from the operating rooms, dental clinics, endoscopy, nursing units, eye clinics, wound care, podiatry and inspects these items for damage and ensures that they are in good working condition. Under direct supervision, the technician follows directions given by full performance technicians for decontamination and cleaning per the manufacturer's instructions. Removes blood, tissue, bone fragments, body fluids, and other contaminants by soaking, scrubbing, brushing, rinsing and use of ultrasonic equipment. Disassembles, and inspects for damage reusable medical supplies, instruments, and equipment. Removes soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids, and other gross contaminants by wiping, soaking, rinsing, scrubbing, and use of ultrasound equipment. Loads and operates washer disinfector, cart washer and sterilizers. Removes items from washer/disinfector and determines type of tray or set to assemble based on recognition of key items and the operating room and clinic schedules. Examines items to ensure that gross contamination has been removed. Disassembles, cleans, lubricates, reassembles and sterilizes dental handpieces and numerous dental specialty instruments and trays. All instruments are processed per manufacturer's guidelines. Assists in loading and operating sterilizers such as Steam, and hydrogen peroxide gas plasma. Work Schedule: 12:00pm-8:30pm Compressed/Flexible:Not available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 53553-A, 53554-A, 53555-A, 53556-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 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. 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: GS-03 (Entry Level) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-04 (Developmental Level) Experience. Six months experience as a MST, operating room or surgical technician or other position that demonstrated knowledge of sterile processing in a clinical setting; or Education. Two years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation. NOTE: Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or nursing assistants obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces, the U.S. Maritime Service, or hospitals under close medical and professional supervision, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to 6 months of experience. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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-05 (Developmental Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; or Education. Four 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, 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-06 (Full Performance 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: 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. 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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The employee usually stands and moves from one part of the room to another while performing duties. There is frequent requirement for lifting individual instruments or instrument trays weighing up to 45 pounds from just above the floor to waist level and occasional requirements for similarly lifting baskets weighing up to fifty pounds. The technician transports trays and equipment on carts that may weigh up to 300 pounds when full. Employee must be acutely aware of safety requirements when moving these carts over slight rises such as door sills. Tension and stress are induced by the critical nature of producing work results on a pre-established time frame as well as in emergent situations. He/she must be able to read, write, and organize written material. Near vision correctable at 13 to 16 inches to a Jaeger 1 to 4. Far vision correctable in one eye 20/20 and 20/40 in the other. Full spectrum of color vision. Bilateral dexterity with the use of both hands. Reaching above shoulders, bending, twisting, stooping, squatting, lifting, pushing, pulling and unencumbered ambulation are required of this position.

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 VA Eastern Oklahoma Health Care System 1011 Honor Heights Drive Muskogee, OK 74401 US
• Name: VISN 19 HR Contact Center
• Phone: 719-227-4600
• Email: [email protected]