Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Summary

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Fayetteville NC Coastal Health Care System, Wilmington, NC. The Supervisory Medical Supply Technician functions as a first level supervisor responsible for the oversight of a group of MSTs, with administrative responsibility for planning and directing the work.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Works closely with the Operating Room Nursing Unit Supervisor and/or nursing staff to ensure all sterilization parameters are being implemented correctly.
• Supervises staff to ensure appropriate decontamination, preparation, and cleaning have taken place before sterilization.
• Maintains proper records and biological reports according to Department policies and procedures.
• Knows the location of instrumentation and acts as a resource person to other staff members.
• Maintains traffic flow between decontamination area and sterile processing area according to hospital infection control policy
• Distribute and prioritize workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Assure even workflow and distribution of workload.
• Revise work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in workload. Assign work to staff based on experience and training needs. Monitor and report on status of work.
• Review work in progress or spot check work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets Supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines.
• Assess the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material, and instrumentation.
• Provide information to management officials concerning performance issues, assignment changes, and task completion.
• Instruct employees on work-related activities, policies, procedures, and goals.
• 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.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

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.
• 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

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. 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.
• 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 : In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

(a) Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-07) level. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Distributing and prioritizing workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations; assuring an even workflow and distribution of the workload; revising work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload; assigning work to staff based on experience and training needs; monitoring and reporting on the status of work; reviewing work in progress or spot checking work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines; assessing the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material and instrumentation.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to manage, interact and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds.
• Ability to direct staff and manage tasks to be completed.
• Ability to oversee and supervise all aspects of decontamination, preparation, sterilization, monitoring, and distribution of RME.
• 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: Three (3) years sterile processing service experience and charge or management experience.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G47, Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing). For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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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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.