Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs' Columbia VA Health Care System in Columbia, SC is seeking a Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing Service) to lead Decontamination, Preparation, Sterilization and Case Cart operations.

You will supervise staff, manage workflows, ensure regulatory compliance, and support equipment maintenance within Sterile Processing.

Qualifications

• Citizenship: US citizen.
• English language proficiency in speech and writing.
• Experience or education as described in basic requirements for MST (six months experience or one year of higher education with health care courses).

Responsibilities

• Lead Decontamination, Preparation, Sterilization and Case Cart operations.
• Supervise staff and assign tasks to meet workflow requirements.
• Monitor quality, compliance, and performance; adjust schedules as needed.
• Ensure safe handling of medical equipment and sterile processing standards.

Skills

Staff supervision

Workflow management

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Communication

Education

Health care related coursework (sterile processing, nursing assistant, OR tech)

Tools

Departmental systems

Tracking platforms

Reporting dashboards

Data management tools

Job description

A RECRUITMENT/RECLOCATION INCENTIVE IS AUTHORIZED FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

This position is located in the Sterile Processing Service at the Columbia VA Healthcare System, located in Columbia, SC. This is a Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing Service) position. The incumbent will perform Supervisory duties in Decontamination, Preparation, Sterilization and Case Cart section of Sterile Processing Service.

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

• Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States


• English Language Proficiency - English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)


• 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 or 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.
  
  
  
  

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

Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) - GS-8

• Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7). Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Distributing and prioritizing workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations; assuring an even workflow and distribution of the workload; revising work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload; assigning work to staff based on experience and training needs; monitoring and reporting on the status of work; reviewing work in progress or spot checking work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines; assessing the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material and instrumentation.


• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  
  
  
  • Ability to manage, interact and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds.
  
  
  • Ability to direct staff and manage tasks to be completed.
  
  
  • Ability to oversee and supervise all aspects of decontamination, preparation, sterilization, monitoring, and distribution of RME.
  
  
  • Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, including assigning, planning and evaluating work, recommending awards, approving leave, identifying training needs, and resolving staff issues.
  
  
  
  

Preferred Experience

• Extensive demonstratable knowledge of sterile processing practices including all current regulatory, compliance, and accreditation requirements


• Experience in sterile processing, GI endoscopy reprocessing, dental instrument reprocessing, or surgical technology


• Proven competency in budget planning, equipment procurement, and resource management


• Strong computer proficiency, including the ability to utilize departmental systems, tracking platforms, reporting dashboards, and data management tools accurately and efficiently


• A minimum of two years of leadership experience within healthcare or sterile processing, with verifiable experience supervising staff, managing workflows, and overseeing performance


• HSPA or CBSPD certification strongly preferred

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-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08

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 Devices. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of pre-sterilizing equipment.