Job opening: Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)
Salary: $36 103 - 61 552 per year
Published at: Jan 03 2025
Employment Type: Full-time
Medical Supply Technicians provide sterilization activities, preparation, supply items and reusable medical equipment decontamination and distribution support to the medical center.
Duties
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
Provide sterilization, preparation, supply items and reusable medical equipment decontamination and distribution support for the medical center. Processing surgical trays and sets and various other items that could be processed or assembled through the Preparation and Decontamination areas of Sterile Processing Service. Working as team member with other Medical Supply Technicians of various experience to carry out the daily work utilizing the written standard operating procedures and/or manufactures written instructions in accordance with instructions, policies, previous training, or accepted/standard practices.
Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, 7:30AM - 4:00pm, 2:30pm - 12:00am Mon-Fri, (Needs of the service)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD60596F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive: Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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.
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:
Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States
English Language Proficiency - English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
Experience and/or Education -
Experience - Six months of experience that demonstrates the 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 technical course or 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.
Grandfathering Provision. AA Medical Supply Technician (MST) employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (May 28, 2014) 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 may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
Employees 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.
Employees 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 re-entry to the occupation.
Preferred Experience: Level II certification and/or IAHCSMM
Grade Determinations:
GS-03 Medical Supply Technician - Experience/Education Requirement. None beyond the basic requirements
GS-04 Medical Supply Technician -
Experience/Education Requirement.
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you must meet one of the following experience or education requirements:
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 US. 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. (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
Basic knowledge of medical terminology in order to assemble specialty operating room/clinic instrument sets.
Basic knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.
Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.
GS-05 Medical Supply Technician
Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you must meet one of the following experience or education requirements:
Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4). Examples of specialized experience include but are 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; 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. (KSA) In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
Basic knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
Basic knowledge of event-related packaging in regards to sterility.
Knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.
GS-06 Medical Supply Technician (Full Performance Level)
Experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-06 you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5). Examples of specialized experience include but are 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 a medical facility including those used in the operating room; preparing, loading, and operating sterilizers such as steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and a high level disinfecting scope reprocessor; prepares operating room case carts daily using surgery schedule.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. (KSA) In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions and procedures.
Knowledge of sterility principles in regards to instrumentation.
Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures.
References: 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 position can be filled at any grade level between GS-3 and GS-6 level.
Physical Requirements: 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 standing and walking, pushing carts that weigh several hundred pounds. Work requires tiring positions such as standing, stooping, kneeling, etc. The incumbent may use a pallet jack as well as carts of varying sizes and weights. The incumbent is tasked regularly with lifting packages weighing up to 50 pounds. The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly, and assembly of instrumentation. Working environment alternates between a contaminated environment and a carefully controlled clean environment. The employee is subject to burns from accidently touching hot items, and 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 is noisy,
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 James H Quillen VA Medical Center
Corner of Lamont Street and Veterans Way
Mountain Home, TN 37684
US
- Name: Mark Scanlon
- Phone: 913-680-7785
- Email: [email protected]
Map