Advanced Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Atlanta, GA, seeks a Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) to support the Sterile Processing Service. Responsibilities include cleaning, inspecting, and sterilizing instruments; preparing and loading sterilizers; assembling trays; and maintaining case carts daily.

The role requires basic experience or education in health care-related courses and offers grandfathering provisions for current VA employees; English proficiency is required.

Qualifications

• Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work; or education above high school including health care related courses such as sterile processing, nursing assistant, hospital corpsman, operating room and surgical technician courses or other related courses.
• Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Job description

This position is located within the Sterile Processing Service in the Atlanta, Georgia VA Healthcare System.

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 VA Handbook 5005, Part II, 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.
  • Certification. None.

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).

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.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the grade level requirements.

Experience

One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-06). 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 sched