Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)
What you'd do
This Medical Supply Technician (MST) position is in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS), at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, in Bedford, Massachusetts location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week. The MST, SPS maintains SPS standards for the practice of all services and care lines and contributes to the fulfillment of the mission of the clinical areas.
Major duties
The MST is accountable of maintaining SPS standards for the practice of all services and care lines and contributes to the fulfillment of the mission of the clinical areas. Duties include but are not limited to: Participates in evaluating the decontamination, high level disinfection/sterilization process and pre-cleaning processes utilized throughout the medical center and CBOCs; Receives contaminated critical and semi-critical reusable medical equipment (RME) in the decontamination area, and may receive noncritical equipment as well; Disassembles the RME and determines the correct cleaning method, such as, but not limited to, ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washers/disinfectors, cart washers and chemical cleaning/decontamination agents, as determined by manufacturer instructions; Inspects, assembles and determines the correct method and packaging for sterilization, such as, but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors; Performs and documents daily operational checks and records for all processes and equipment; Follows the local Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) drafted in accordance with the manufacturer's written recommendations; and Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F07990/F7989/F07988/F07987 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Notifications: This position is covered by a special rate. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
What you need to qualify
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 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.) 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. Certification. None. 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. 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. Certification is not required but National Certification is preferred. GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-03 (Entry Level) (a)Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-04 (Developmental Level) (a) 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 (b) 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. (c) 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) (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; or (b) 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. (c) 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) (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (b) 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. Preferred Experience: Certification preferred but not required. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work requires constant physical effort in the receipt, reprocessing, storage and issue of RME, folding of linen items, assembling trays, pans, and case carts, inserting and retrieving loaded sterilized carts from the autoclaves. Hand and eye coordination is required in the disassembly and reassembling of equipment. The worker is exposed to long periods of standing, bending and walking while reprocessing reusable medical equipment. Frequent requirement for the lifting of RME, trays and cartons from storage shelves to carts. Incumbent regularly uses case carts in the delivery of supplies and instruments to the clinical areas within the Medical Center. Material weighs up to 40 pounds.
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