Medical Supply Technician

Summary This position is located at the Inscription House Health Center, Division of Clinical Services, Dental program, Central Sterile Room, Inscription House, Arizona. The position processes sterile supplies and instruments through decontamination, packaging, and sterilization for IHHC dental, acute patient care, and outpatient clinics. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021). Responsibilities Receives, inspects, disassembles, cleans, disinfects, decontaminates, assembles, packages, labels, and sterilizes reusable medical and dental instruments, equipment, and supplies in accordance with established infection-control and sterile-processing standards. Operates sterilizers, washers, and related sterile-processing equipment; performs required biological, Bowie-Dick, and other quality-control testing; evaluates sterilization indicators; documents results; and reports contaminated loads or process failures for appropriate corrective or recall action. Maintains appropriate levels of sterile supplies for inpatient, outpatient, dental, and other patient-care areas by checking supply needs, rotating stock, exchanging and restocking carts, identifying and documenting shortages, and ensuring proper storage and transportation of sterile goods. Reassembles instruments and equipment, verifies functionality and sterilization effectiveness, prepares and loads carts, fills routine and emergency supply requests, tracks sterilized instruments and supplies using a computer, and maintains required processing and autoclave records. Advises healthcare personnel regarding the availability, substitution, and effective use of supplies and equipment and provides training or orientation on sterile-supply techniques and procedures while maintaining appropriate training records. Requirements Conditions of Employment Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. Confidential Financial Disclosure Form required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service. Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. Qualifications To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience in processing, assembling, trouble-shooting, preparing, sterilizing, storing, and issuing sterile and unsterile medical supplies and equipment. The applicant must possess knowledge of the technical names, general uses, physical characteristics, and operating conditions of medical supply items; knowledge of decontamination, cleaning, preparation, sterilization, and storage procedures; knowledge of aseptic techniques; and skill in operating a washer-sterilizer, ultrasonic instrument cleaners, and gas and steam sterilizers. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include work as an operating room technician, medical instrument technician, nursing assistant, corpsman, or laboratory worker. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS-5: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: performing sterile supply processing duties such as cleaning, decontaminating, assembling, packaging, sterilizing, and distributing reusable medical or dental instruments and supplies; operating sterilization equipment; performing quality checks; maintaining records; and restocking sterile supplies. The applicant must possess knowledge of the technical names, general uses, physical characteristics, and operating conditions of medical supply items; knowledge of decontamination, cleaning, preparation, sterilization, and storage procedures; knowledge of aseptic techniques; and skill in operating a washer-sterilizer, ultrasonic instrument cleaners, and gas and steam sterilizers. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include work as an operating room technician, medical instrument technician, nursing assistant, corpsman, or laboratory worker. OR; Education: 4-year course of study above high school leading a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. OR; Combining Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. (When crediting education, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) The combination of education and experience must equal at least 100% to qualify. Applicants qualifying through education or a combination of education and experience must provide copies of their transcripts. GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. GS-06: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: independently performing sterile processing duties such as decontaminating, inspecting, assembling, packaging, sterilizing, testing, and distributing reusable medical instruments and supplies; selecting processing methods; troubleshooting equipment; evaluating sterilization effectiveness; and resolving processing issues. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Education If you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. ( This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit. IHS Selectees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases, consistent with recommendations for healthcare workers. Vaccine exemption requests may be available, as outlined in the IHS Employee Immunization Policy and facility guidance. This position has promotion potential to the GS-GS-6 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).