Medical Supply Technician - Sterile Processing

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Salisbury (NC); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salisbury, VA, including Charlotte and Kernersville Health Care Centers, seeks a Sterile Processing Service technician to decontaminate, sterilize, and inspect reusable medical equipment (RME).

GS-06 entry level requires six months of MST experience or one year of health care related coursework; a combination of education and experience may qualify. Full time position with responsibilities at the Salisbury campus.

Qualifications

• Six months of MST-related experience or one year of health care coursework.
• Education: One year above high school with at least 6 semester hours in health care related courses.
• Experience/education combination may qualify for entry level.

Responsibilities

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

Skills

Sterile processing knowledge

Surgical instruments knowledge

Cross-contamination prevention

Medical terminology

Education

One year above high school with health care courses

Job description

The position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), VA Medical Center, in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS), Salisbury, VA including Charlotte and Kernersville Health Care Centers. Performs segments of work pertaining to the decontamination, sterilization, and inspection of reusable medical equipment (RME).

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.

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).

Creditable Experience

• Knowledge of Current MST Practices: To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with MST responsibilities. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as a MST.
• Quality of Experience: Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MST experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
• Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience as a MST is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a MST employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

Grade Determinations

The following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-06 (Full Performance Level)

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  1. Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
  2. Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
  3. Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions and procedures.
  4. Knowledge of sterility principles in regards to instrumentation.
  5. Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures.

Preferred Experience

Sterile processing certification and 1-5 years experience.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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