Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Summary

This position is located in the Sterile Processing Service at the Columbia VA Healthcare System, located in Columbia, SC. This is a Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing Service) position. The incumbent will perform Supervisory duties in Decontamination, Preparation, Sterilization and Case Cart section of Sterile Processing Service.

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Duties

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The Supervisory Medical Supply Technician provides leadership of day-to-day operations under the direction of the Chief, Sterile Processing Service.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• The Supervisory MST functions as a first-level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of Medical Supply Technicians, with administrative responsibility for planning and directing of work.
• Oversees attendance and leave, including approval of sick and annual leave and vacation schedules. Informs high 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 interview with employees, referring disciplinary problems to high levels of management.
• Provides technical supervisory necessary for accomplishing the work of the organizational unit.
• Operationalizes the quality assurance program in daily practice in order to ensure that the right instrument, in the right condition, is in the right place, at the right time.
• In conjunction with the Lead/RMD Coordinator/Educator, the Supervisor will be responsible for operational deployment of a comprehensive training program for all SPS staff.
• Communicate daily with customers in order to ensure open communication results in uninterrupted and consistently accurate flow of necessary RMD supplies for procedures.
• Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short term priorities and prepares schedules for completion of work.
• Plans and assigns work on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis and adjust assignments during a workday to alleviate choke points in reprocessing activities.
• Participates in Interview Panels and makes recommendations regarding hiring decisions.
• Provides recommendations regarding promotion and advancement of the Medical Supply Technicians on respective shifts. Hears and resolves complaints from employees, referring to group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to a higher-level supervisor or manager.
• Identifies developmental and training needs of employees, providing for and arranging for needed development and training.
• Finds ways to improve production or increase the quality of work directed and assists in the development of performance standards. Establish guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system.
• Observes workers' performance, demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques. Provides informal feedback and evaluates employee performance. Resolves informal complaints and grievances.
• Develop work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary. Provides advice and counsel to workers related to technical work and administrative matters. Provides training to subordinates to fully comply with provisions of safety regulations.
• Make operational decisions based upon findings, observations or problems presented by subordinate technicians and direct observation.
• Directly oversees the work of employees under his/her supervision, orients new employees to their duties, validates competencies of employees, identifies equipment requirements, and recommends methods to improve the quality and productivity of the service.

Work Schedule : Monday to Friday: 10am to 8:30pm. Subject to change based on dept need.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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 :

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : FS 60141F

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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.

Qualifications

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 and/or Education:

• 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.

English Language Proficiency: MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

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-08 Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

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.

Preferred Experience : National Certification

Sterile Processing Services Sterile Processing is a critical service responsible for the inspection, decontamination, processing, and sterilization of reusable surgical and medical devices. Because this work directly supports patient safety and surgical outcomes, it requires the most competent, skilled, and qualified individual. Attention to detail, strict adherence to regulatory requirements, and unwavering compliance with established standards are essential qualities for anyone being considered for this supervisory role. To ensure we select a candidate who can meet the operational, regulatory and leadership demands of Sterile Processing, applicants who fully meet the following qualifications should be referred: Extensive and demonstrable knowledge of sterile processing practices, including all current regulatory, compliance, and accreditation requirements. Experience in Sterile Processing (SPS), GI endoscopy reprocessing, Dental instrument reprocessing or Surgical Technology. Proven competency in budget planning, equipment procurement and resource management. Strong computer proficiency, including the ability to utilize departmental systems, tracking platforms, reporting dashboards and data management tools accurately and efficiently.

A minimum of two years of leadership experience within healthcare or sterile processing, with verifiable experience supervising staff, managing workflows and overseeing performance. HSPA or CBSPD certification required. Demonstrated critical-thinking skills, sound judgment, and effective problem-solving abilities. Exceptional work ethic, reliability, professional integrity and accountability. Positive character aligned with organizational mission, core values and service excellence.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS08.

Physical Requirements

This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, 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, and other injuries from material handling equipment. The work requires standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 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 accidentally touching hot items. The hazards of working around minute quantities of sterilizing gasses are unknown. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, 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 reusable medical Devices. 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.

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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.

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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.