Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Lubbock (TX); On-site; USD 43,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lead Medical Supply Technician supports the Sterile Processing Service management team at the VA facility, handling sterilization, decontamination, and provision of reusable medical devices. Adheres to SOPs and SPS mandates while maintaining workflow efficiency and quality control.

Required qualifications include citizenship, English proficiency, and either one year of relevant experience or one year of health care related coursework with transcripts.

Qualifications

• Must meet English language proficiency for written and spoken communication.
• Experience or education requirements include 6 semester hours in health care related courses or a year of education above high school.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience are acceptable and transcript is required when using education to qualify.

Responsibilities

• Provide sterilization, preparation, supply items, and decontamination support for the medical center.
• Assist with distribution of reusable medical devices and maintain SPS SOP compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Instruct staff

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Prioritization

Education

One year above high school in health care related courses

Job description

The Lead Medical Supply Technician works in support of the Sterile Processing Service management team. Ensures Reusable Medical Device (RMD) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Sterile Processing Service (SPS) mandates are followed during the performance of workflow. In this position, the incumbent will provide sterilization, preparation, supply items and reusable medical device decontamination and distribution support for the medical center.

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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 technician courses or other courses related to the position; (TRANSCRIPT Required if using education to qualify) OR
  • Experience/Education Combination - Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. (TRANSCRIPT Required if using education to qualify)

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).

Grandfather Provision

A 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Grade Determinations

Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) - GS-07

• Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-07 you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Receiving contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area; disassembling the RME and determining 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; inspecting, assembling and determining the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors; performing and documenting daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Ability to instruct staff on the correct procedures and protocols for completing assignments
  • Skill in communicating with staff to ensure compliance with written directives, rules and regulations.
  • Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
  • Knowledge of sterility principles in order to instruct staff on decontamination procedures.
  • Ability to lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments.

Preferred Experience

• 2 or more years hands on experience in sterile processing Working knowledge of AVAHCS policies and procedures
• Working knowledge of Reusable Medical Devices and Infection Control practices
• Experience in project development and implementation
• VA level one certification for Sterile Processing Service
• Understanding of quality management systems and quality analysis

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07.

Physical Requirements

Individuals who are required to operate a government owned or leased vehicle to successfully carry out their assigned duties must be medically cleared prior to appointment. Assessment must be made for any acute or chronic medical/physical condition or medication use which interferes with the ability operate the appropriate Government-owned or -leased vehicle safely and without undue risk to themselves or others. The following requirements must be met:

• distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction,
• field of vision 70 degrees,
• ability to distinguish red, green and amber,
• whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs. at 500, 1000 and 2,000 Hz.