Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

VA Boston Healthcare System, Sterile Processing Service, is advertising a full-time Medical Supply Technician position at the West Roxbury, MA location. The role requires basic requirements including U.S.

citizenship and English proficiency, with progression through GS-03 to GS-06 based on experience and education. The incumbent will handle decontamination, sterilization and preparation of sterile instruments, and operate related equipment.

Qualifications

• Six months of experience that demonstrates ability to perform the work or understanding of the work (or)
• One year of education above high school including at least 6 semester hours in health care related courses
• Equivalent combination of experience and education acceptable for entry level
• Foreign Education: if completed outside the U.S., must be evaluated for equivalence to U.S. standards

Responsibilities

• Decontaminate, sterilize, and inspect reusable medical equipment (RME).
• Assemble basic instrument sets and operating room trays.
• Prepare operating room case carts and load sterilizers.
• Follow universal precautions and maintain sterile processing standards.

Skills

Sterile processing

Medical terminology

Universal precautions

Oral and written communication

Education

High school + health care coursework

Job description

The Medical Supply Technician position is in the Sterile Processing Service at the VA Boston Healthcare System located at the West Roxbury, MA location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week.

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 as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).
• 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.
• 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 Experience or Education

(Entry Level) None beyond the basic requirements.

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.

GS-04 Experience or Education

(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.

GS-05 Experience or Education

(Developmental Level)

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 4); Duties may include, but are not limited to: 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.

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 KSAs below:

• 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.

GS-06 Experience

(Full Performance Level)

One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 5). Duties may include, but are not limited to: 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.

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:

• 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.

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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06.

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/campus. The incumbent may be required to work in areas that are hot, cold, drafty and poorly lighted. The employee is subject to the possibility of falls, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and other injuries from material handling equipment. The work requires standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation.

On a regular and recurring 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 hazards of working around minute quantities of sterilizing gasses are unknown. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, excretions and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or reusable medical equipment. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of pre-sterilizing equipment.