Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (STERILE PROCESSING)

Summary

The Supervisory Medical Supply Technician position in Sterile Processing at Jesse Brown VAMC, Chicago IL Sterile processing is responsible for high-level disinfectants of critical and semi-critical reusable medical equipment, maintaining quality assurance with all the machines. The Supervisory MST functions as a first-level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of MSTs, with administrative responsibility for planning and directing the work.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Duties:

The position functions as a first-level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of MSTs, with administrative responsibility for planning and directing the work. Oversees attendance and leave, including approval of sick and annual leave and vacation schedules. Informs higher level management of anticipated vacancies or increases in workload. Recommends promotions, reassignments, recognition of superior performance, retention or release of probationary employees or other changes of assigned personnel. Holds corrective interviews with employees, referring disciplinary problems to higher levels of management. Resolves informal complaints of employees and deals with union representatives on personnel matters. Provides technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the Sterile Processing Unit.

Provides, distributes, and balances workload among employees in accordance with the established work flow and experience. Monitors the status and progress of work and makes adjustments in accordance with established procedures. Ensures timely accomplishments of assigned workload, and ensures that SPS Staff employees have sufficient workload. Schedules, coordinates, prepares, and performs all training programs

related to SPS directive and program requirements. Monitors the demand and needs of the SPS program to determine the abilities of emergent focus for staff.

Responsible for the coordination, planning, implementation and training for SPS staff, services and ensures that the facility understands the program regulations and procedures. Participates as a member and/or in an advisory capacity on committees in the absence of the Chief of SPS such as: Clinical Product Review, Infection Control, Emergency Management and RME committee.

Independently organizes audits, to ensure performance of staff, steps and procedures are followed. The incumbent respectfully recognizes needs for concern and resolves any issues. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : 4:00pm-12:30am

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # :00399F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : NOT AUTHORIZED

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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

. Experience:

Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; or One year of experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the work or 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;

Combination:

Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable

Certification: None

GRADE Determination: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the lower grade level (GS-7) directly related to Medical Supply Technician work.

GS-8 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:

1). Ability to manage, interact and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds

.2). Ability to direct staff and manage tasks to be completed.

3). Ability to oversee and supervise all aspects of decontamination, preparation, sterilization, monitoring, and distribution of RME.

4). 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.

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).

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements: Physical Requirements: This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply (preparation); endoscope reprocessing room and in other SPS services areas throughout the medical facility/campus. The incumbent may be required to work in areas that are hot, cold, drafty and poorly or. brightly lighted.

The work requires proper body mechanics when standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending, twisting and lifting of packages / instrument trays, transport bins, (weighing as much as 50 pounds). Transportation of RME between buildings and clinics requires the loading and unloading of soiled, clean and sterile RME. Requires the pushing and pulling of case carts and flatbed hand trucks weighing several hundred 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 sterilizers or accidentally touching hot items. The employee may be exposed to sterilizing gasses and liquids during their normal workday. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, excretions and bits of tissue, bone; some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or reusable medical equipment. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of pre-sterilizing equipment.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: 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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.