Medical Supply Technician – Sterile Processing

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until March 31, 2025. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be December 2, 2024. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. *** 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. 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. Grandfathering Provision. All MSTs that are employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (5/28/2014) 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, must meet one provisions described in the VA Qualification Standard. The grandfathering provision is 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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 & cleaning equipment. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing. Assignment. 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 (GS-4); 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, & Abilities. 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: 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 (GS-5). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experienceabove, 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. 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. Preferred Experience: 1 year of SPS experience. 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: This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply (preparation) and in other services and departments throughout the medical facility. The employee is subject to the possibility of falls, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and other injuries from material handling equipment. Frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighting as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity, visual and auditory acuity for manipulating, disassembling and assembling instrumentation. On a regular and reoccurring 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 employee often works around body fluids, mucus, excretions, and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong unpleasant orders are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or reusable medical devices. The work is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of pre sterilization equipment.
This is a Medical Supply Technician (MST) position for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) of Sheridan Wyoming Health Care System. Incumbent receives contaminated critical & semi-critical reusable medical devices (RMD), disassembles & determines the correct cleaning method, inspects, assembles & determines the correct method & packaging for sterilization. Also performs & documents daily operational checks & records for all processes & equipment.