Summary

This Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position is within the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs. It functions as a first-level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of Medical Supply Technician's - with administrative responsibility for planning and directing the work.

Qualifications

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 REQUREMENTS. 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 Supervisory Medical Supply Technician's must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance. GRADE REQUIREMENTS. Experience and/or Education Six (6) months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; -OR- One (1) 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- 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). Preferred Experience: Sterile Processing Team Lead or Sterile Processing Supervisory experience. Experience in Teaching/Education/Orienting in Sterile Processing. Certified Instrument Specialist (CIS) certification or equivalent Certified Healthcare Leader (CHL) certification or equivalent Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) certification or equivalent Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER) certification or equivalent. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 10. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 08. Physical Requirements: This work is performed in various settings: decontamination - preparation - clean sterile supply (preparation and packaging) 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. Talking during the entire day and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as much as 50 pounds). Standing for greater than 8-hours - pushing - pulling - and lifting throughout the shift are a requirement of the position. The work requires dexterity and visual and auditory acuity for manipulating - disassembling - and assembling of instrumentation. On a regular and reoccurring 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 gases are unknown. Technician may be exposed to fumes from various high-level disinfectants and cleaning chemicals. Technicians are periodically monitored and tested for exposure to certain hazardous chemicals. The employee often works around body fluids - mucus - 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 RMD. the work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments - rumbling of carts and operation of pre sterilization equipment.

Duties

• VA offers a Comprehensive Total Rewards package: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf This Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position is within the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs
• The primary purpose of the technician is to clean - decontaminate - inspect - and perform quality assurance - inventory - prepare instruments for sterilization - and sterilize and/or disinfect medical instruments - surgical instruments - and other reusable medical devices (RMD)
• The duties include but are not limited to the following: Collects and receives all used - soiled reusable critical and semi-critical RMD - utilizing proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures to prevent cross contamination of other equipment and personnel during the collection and transport of the soiled RMD
• Responsible for the systematic manual and automated cleaning - disinfection and sterilization of instrumentation and medical equipment according to strict manufacturer instructions
• Responsible for the proper disassembly of technical medical instrumentation and equipment - where internal parts may become contaminated - which requires dexterity - skill - careful positioning of parts - and the elimination of any bioburden
• Independently responsible for the proper operation of a variety of automated cleaning and disinfection equipment - to include washer/disinfector - ultrasonic machines - automated endoscope reprocessors - and electrical conductivity testing devices
• During instrument tray assembly - technician is responsible for determining proper instrument selection - instrument function/operation - need for instrument protection - and arrangement of items to ensure effective penetration of the sterilant
• Some instruments - due to size - delicacy - sharpness - and/or cost - require specialized handling and additional protective actions to ensure they are not damaged
• Independently determines proper packaging method - based upon size - number and weight of the assembled items - and labels these items appropriately
• Responsible for thorough inspection for cleanliness - damage - deterioration - or imperfections such as rust - pitting and cracks that could affect the quality of patient care
• Responsible for ensuring that the items function properly and must be knowledgeable of the purpose and proper usage of medical instrumentation
• Performing manual quality testing on endoscopes and instrumentation
• Responsible for ensuring that quality assurance testing for the effectiveness of the equipment operation is completed and documented to include mechanical - chemical - and biological monitoring
• Conforms to and ensures that all safety and infection control rules - regulations - and requirements (e.g. - dress code and traffic control procedures) in both the decontamination and preparation areas are followed by all personnel working in - or entering - the work area
• Distributes items according to established requirements - special requests or as requisitioned
• Fills requests for items based on daily schedules of needs or on individual requisitions
• Pulls consumable items and instrument sets according to OR preference cards in the OR
• Consults with customers on items in short supply or out of stock - recommending possible substitutions
• Sends requested items to wards and clinics via cart delivery systems
• Stores items in accordance with inventory system and storage guidelines
• Assists with inventory of RME and sterile supplies
• Assembles and loads operating room carts according to schedules and fills special and emergency requests for items
• Inspects inventories and checks in sets - equipment - and trays from medical vendors
• Work Schedule: Monday to Friday | 2:00pm to 10:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 554-55034-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized