Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Buffalo, New York, New York, This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan reimbursement program. To participate in the program, you must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA Policy 1021 and submit your application within 4 months of appointment. The final award amount (up to $200k) and eligibility period (1-5 years) is determined by the VHA EDRP Services office. The EDRP Coordinators can be reached at VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va. gov. 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: All Medical Supply Technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in both spoken and written English. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-06 (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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.

(c) Assignment. This is the full performance level for the occupation. Receives contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area and may receive noncritical equipment in the decontamination area as well. Disassembles the RME and determines 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. Inspects, assembles and determines the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors. Performs and documents daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G47 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 [“15% recruitment, relocation, or group incentive. Higher percentage for Best Qualified candidates. This is an Open Continuous Announcement until August 31, 2023 and may be extended or closed as needed.

Medical Supply Technicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) receive contaminated critical and semi-critical reusable medical equipment (RME) in the decontamination area and may receive noncritical equipment. The incumbent(s) provide service for all the Medical Center care areas, including related outpatient services. Incumbent(s) must be well versed in the processing and distribution of supplies and equipment utilized by all areas. Must be able to clean, assemble, sterilize, HLD simple and complex RMD. National SPS Certification is preferred but not required. Incumbent(s) perform all duties involving aseptic processing in the Processing and Decontamination Section. This work involves preparation, storage and dispatch of medical supplies and equipment used by all patient care and treatment entities of an active General Medical & Surgical teaching hospital. Duties are grouped according to their aseptic or clean tasks. Work is assigned as with either contaminated, clean or aseptically clean as the latter applies to material handling of sterile items. This requires rotation among the various medical supply operations in the Medical Center.

The incumbent(s) support the need of OR preparing instruments and complete procedure trays of utilization according to the next day’s operative schedule. Incumbent(s) must be able to identify damaged and malfunctioning instruments, reassembling multi-part or complex sets, inspecting them for gross contamination, properly placing instruments in the set according to the pick for specific tray. Employee must understand priorities from both a time and event related perspective as this would affect the surgical patient’s welfare. This requires constant attention to all details and integration with the OR staff to effectively respond to their emergent and elective surgical needs. The work involves the provision of sterile instrumentation to the OR, in house clinics and off-site regional VA CBOCs. Decontamination – Incumbent(s) receive and collect all soiled RME from OR, GI and clinics. Incumbent(s) identify, inspect for damage and systematically segregates by soaking, flushing, scrubbing, rinsing, and use of ultrasonic equipment, by use of mechanical instrument washers and by use of AERs for HLD of endo scopes. RME can also consist of handheld instruments, delicate instruments, lumen instruments, power, batteries, cords, metal implants, and robotic instruments. Preparation – Incumbent(s) receive from decontamination all supplies and equipment for sterilization and assembly. Incumbent(s) must have an understanding of the relationship of microbiology to disease, know basic principles of sterilization (Steam/Low Temp H2O2) and have a thorough knowledge of and ability to apply these methods for processing supplies and equipment.

Incumbent(s) are required to assemble and position items carefully on sterilizer carrier, so the complete penetration of the sterilizing agent is possible. Incumbent(s) select correct sterilizing method, cycles and operates sterilizer. Incumbent(s) must watch gauges on all sterilizers and report deviations. Incumbent(s) must complete the SPD Level I training program over a 8 week time frame and receive a passing grade of 80% in each end of chapter test. Incumbent will be allowed to take the den of chapter tests as many times as necessary for satisfactory completion. Incumbent receives periodic training by videos, in-services, lectures, etc. in the use and functioning of new medical supplies, instruments, and equipment, new or improved sterilization practices, developments in microbiology, bacteriology and therapeutic practices as they affect the sterile supply operation. Sterile Storage- Incumbent(s) use OR pick sheets to pull medical dry goods and sterile RME trays for next days’ cases. Incumbent(s) also check scopes for outdates in scope hanging cabinets. Incumbent checks shelves and does daily QA audit of trays for exterior nonconformities possible issues.

Disassembles RME and determines the correct cleaning method, such as, but not limited to, ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washer-disinfectors, cart washer and chemical cleaning decontamination agents, as determined by manufacturer instructions. Inspects, assembles and determines the correct method and packaging for sterilization, such as, but not limited to steam, low temperature, and high-level disinfecting (HLD) endo scope re-processors. (AER’s). Performs and documents daily operational checks and records for all processes and equipment. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday (3:00pm – 11:30pm) or (7:00am – 3:30pm) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21N87-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized”]

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