Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Summary

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Wichita, Kansas is currently recruiting for a Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing).

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Duties

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The Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) has knowledge of and ability in removing soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids, and other contaminants by wiping, soaking, rinsing, and scrubbing. The incumbent inspects packages for indications of proper sterilization, assembles basic sets and trays used throughout the medical center including those used in the operating room. He/she prepares, loads, and operates various sterilizers and a high-level disinfecting scope reprocessor. Additional duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting with preparation of operating room case carts using surgery schedules.
• Identifying and applying knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
• Using medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and knowledge of conditions and procedures.
• Utilizing a knowledge of sterility principles in regard to instrumentation.
• Reading and interpreting written instructions and procedures.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday; 1:00pm - 9:30pm

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not 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)

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 # : 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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 and/or Education
  • (1) Experience. Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work; or
  • (2) 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
  • (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• Certification. None

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).

• Grandfathering Provision. A MEDICAL SUPPLY TECHNICIAN (STERILE PROCESSING) employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (05/28/2014) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the grandfathering provisions outlined in the OCC SERIES NAME qualification will apply. You can view the qualification standard at

Grade Determinations : GS-3: In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-03 (Entry Level) Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) must meet the following requirements:

(a) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

(b) Assignment. This is an entry level MST position. MSTs receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision.

GS-4: In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-04 (Developmental Level) Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) must meet the following requirements:

(a) Experience. Six months experience as a MST, operating room or surgical technician or other position that demonstrated knowledge of sterile processing in a clinical setting;

or

(b) Education. Two years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation. NOTE: Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or nursing assistants obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces, the U.S. Maritime Service, or hospitals under close medical and professional supervision, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to 6 months of experience.

(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1. Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination. 2. Basic knowledge of medical terminology in order to assemble specialty operating room/clinic instrument sets. 3. Basic knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment. 4. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.

GS-5: In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-05 (Developmental Level) Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) must meet the following requirements:

(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level;

or

(b) Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a Bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation or a Bachelor's degree.

(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Basic knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. 2. Basic knowledge of event-related packaging in regard to sterility. 3. Knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.

GS-6: In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-06 (Full Performance Level) Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) must meet the following requirements:

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

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. 2. Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination. 3. Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions and procedures. 4. Knowledge of sterility principles in regard to instrumentation. 5. Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures.

Preferred Experience: Steam sterilization, endoscope reprocessing, and decontamination experience.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

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

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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