Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Full Job Description

Serves as a Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) in the Sterile Processing Services (SPS) Section at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center (MGVAMC) in Spokane, Washington.

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Certification: None. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-03 (Entry Level) Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment: This is an entry level MST position.

MSTs receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision.

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.

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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. Assignment: This is a developmental level MST position.

Performs segments of work pertaining to the decontamination, sterilization and inspection of reusable medical equipment (RME).

Completes segments of work pertaining to the assembly of basic sets and trays for use in the medical center. Operates equipment involved in sterilization processes. Prepares operating room case carts.

MSTs receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision.

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.

In addition to the experience or education 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. Assignment: This is a developmental level MST position.

Removes soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids, and other containments by wiping, soaking, rinsing, and scrubbing.

Inspects packages for indications of proper sterilization, assembles basic sets and trays used throughout the medical center including those used in the operating room.

Prepares, loads, and operates sterilizers such as steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and a high level disinfecting scope reprocessor; prepares operating room case carts daily using surgery schedule.

MSTs receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more complex tasks and require direct supervision on new assignments.

GS-06 (Full Performance Level) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

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. Assignment: This is the full performance level for the occupation.

Receives contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area and may receive noncritical equipment in the decontamination area as well.

Disassembles the RME and determines the correct cleaning method, such as but not limited to ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washers, 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, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors.

Performs and documents daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment.

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: Moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds), pulling hand over hand, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, and repeated bending.

Environmental factors include excessive noise (intermittent), working closely with others, and working alone. Major Duties:

Examining and Inspection of Condition of Instrumentation, Supplies and RMD Responsible for the collection and receipt of 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 soiled RMD.

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.

Cleaning Surgical Instrumentation and RMD Responsible for the systematic manual and automated cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of instrumentation and equipment according to strict Manufacturer Instructions for Use (MIFU).

Must use knowledge of instrumentation to differentiate by sight items that can require differing methods to accomplish cleaning and disinfection of complex, expensive medical instrumentation.

Responsible for the manual cleaning, high-level disinfection and/or sterilization of endoscopes, to include both upper and lower GI endoscopes, Cysto-Uretero Fiberscopes , video intubation scopes, transesophageal transducers and various ultrasound probes classified as semi-critical reusable medical equipment.

Quality Assurance Independently operate a variety of high- and low-temperature sterilization equipment, to include steam, and hydrogen peroxide plasma.

Responsible for ensuring that quality assurance testing of the effectiveness of the equipment operation is completed and documented to include mechanical, chemical and biological monitoring.

Independently prepare the full range of trays and sets necessary for use in various areas of the medical center, to include multiple clinic areas listed above.

Reassemble surgical instrument sets as required for use by ophthalmic, urological, orthopedic, podiatry, and dental specialties, among others.

Consider patient procedure scheduling in clinical areas to determine need for instrument tray turn-around and make recommendations to management for purchase of additional items.

Assembling, Packaging, Wrapping and Sterilizing Instrumentation for End Users During instrument assembly, the 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.

Independently determine proper packaging method, based upon size, number and weight of the assembled items, and labels these items appropriately.

Effectively process and sterilize a wide variety of implant devices in accordance with the MIFU, and ensure non-biologic implants are not released for use until the biological challenge device has completed the incubation process and determine whether the sterilization method was effective.

Operations Utilize computer programs, to include Microsoft Office components, to perform record keeping, tracking operations, maintain quality assurance records, and communicate with other personnel, both internal and external to the Medical Center.

Perform peer training for new employees, as well as user training and instructions to others, both internal and external to the service, regarding the correct operating and preventative maintenance procedures of medical instrumentation and equipment.

Identify trends, recommend solutions, and implement quality improvement initiatives and programs related to program effectiveness.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0930-1800 Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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.

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 #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized