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 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 - 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 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)
• 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: 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
• 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
• 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: Must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6)
• To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-6, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: receiving contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area and may receive noncritical equipment in the decontamination area as well
• disassembling the RME and determining 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
• inspecting, assembling and determining the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors
• performing and documenting daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment
• And In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of inventory and supply principles, concepts and methodologies in order to recommend solutions to areas of SPS concerning existing policies, work procedures and work methods involving SPS automated equipment tracking systems
• Knowledge of work and objectives in Preparation, Case Cart, Scope, and Decontamination areas of the Sterile Processing Service in order to make appropriate judgment and analysis to provide services or resolve problems concerning automated equipment tracking systems
• Ability to search for and analyze information derived from equipment tracking systems, inventory record systems or other automated catalog systems in order to resolve issues, answer questions, provide automated equipment tracking information reports and services, and recommend actions to eliminate problems
• Knowledge of safe, intelligent and efficient processing in a Sterile Processing Service, general knowledge of surgical procedures and techniques that cover patient care
• Ability to communicate effectively with attending, residents, nursing staff, Biomed, VISN level staff and management, and vendors concerning the scheduling, inventory, and use of RME
• Knowledge of fundamental principles and practices of surgical and medical asepsis, disinfecting process, sterilization process, and proper selection of disinfectants, microbiology, fundamental biology and human body defense
• General knowledge of ordering and receiving supply items by generating 2237s, knowledge of replacement quotas and inventory procedures to maintain supply levels
• Knowledge of the substantive programs of the hospital as they relate to the function of the Sterile Processing Service
• Incumbent must be able to provide training support for all aspects of instrument tracking, maintenance, and repair
• Incumbent must develop Standard Operating Procedures and other reference documents that relate to CensiTrac functions managed by this and other tracking systems
• Incumbent will provide CensiTrac technical support for all end user customers serviced by the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, including Logistics, Operating Room, GI Clinic SPS, and all other using services
• Knowledge of and skilled in the use of VA internal and external systems such as
• instrument tracking systems, intranet, VISTA, SharePoint and other software programs used by the service such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Broad knowledge of "CensiTrac" instrument tracking system in order to troubleshoot, diagnose, and correct malfunctions
• Knowledge of vast surgical instrumentation, classification, and composition for the proper identification and marking application
• Knowledge of surgical instrument marking systems for safe application of appropriate marking technique
• Must be adept in operating a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time
• 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-7. Physical Requirements: This work involves both administrative and physical demands and is performed in various settings: Case Cart, decontamination, preparation, GI clinic, 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, Needle Sticks, and other injuries from handling equipment
• The work requires standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending, stooping, reaching, and lifting of sterile products and packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds)
• The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation.