Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

The Lead Medical Supply Technician (Lead MST) works at the Fresno VA Medical Center in support of the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) management team within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The Lead MST distributes and prioritizes workload among employees based on established workflow and job specialization, ensuring an even distribution of tasks and revising schedules as needed to address anticipated and unanticipated changes. Work is assigned according to employee experience and training needs, and progress is monitored and reported to management. The Lead MST ensures compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and SPS mandates, reviewing or spot-checking completed work to confirm adherence to proper sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines.

Duties include but are not limited to: FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE Leads a unit or team of employees performing work at the GS-6 level or below, providing guidance and technical directions to accomplish the unit's work. Ensures work assignments of employees in the unit or team are carried out. Collaborate with the Chief and Assistant Chief, SPS, to assign functions to team members in order to meet routine and unusual deadlines and priorities.

Distributes and balances workload and tasks among employees according to established workflow, job specialization, and individual capabilities. Serves as a working Lead Technician, filling in and redistributing workload during personnel shortages or short-notice priorities to ensure smooth operations. Ensures timely accomplishment of assigned tasks and confirms that each employee has sufficient work to remain productive.

Revises work schedules as necessary to accommodate anticipated and unanticipated changes in workload. Assign work to employees or employees to positions, breaking out tasks as needed to provide new employees with the experience and training required. Distributes work assignments equitably, including overtime and both desirable and undesirable tasks. Explains work requirements, methods, and procedures, providing special instructions for difficult or unusual operations and answering technical questions.

Work Monitoring and Quality Oversight Monitors the status and progress of work, making day-to-day adjustments based on established priorities. Maintains current knowledge of procedures, policies, and directives, and answers related questions from other employees. Reviews work in progress and complete work to verify that supervisory instructions on priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality assurance have been met. Obtains guidance or information from supervisory staff regarding problems or backlogs that cannot be resolved promptly.

Amends or rejects work that does not meet established standards. Refers questions, issues not covered by standards, or performance concerns to supervisory staff as appropriate. Checks the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material, and instrumentation to assess the quality and quantity of work produced by each employee. Ensures items are safe to use, delivered on time to the proper location, and in the correct condition for VA patient care.

Monitors working conditions, including seating, ventilation, lighting, and safety. Training and Employee Development Train or arrange training for team members in the accomplishment of tasks or projects. Provides on-the-job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices. Conducts and records competency assessments on individuals for the proper reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), using checklists established by supervisory staff and approved by Infection Control.

Administrative and Supervisory Support Approves emergency leave for short durations or emergencies in the absence of supervisory staff. Inform employees of service policies, procedures, goals, and related changes as they affect unit operations. Reports to the supervisor on employee performance, progress, training needs, and behavioral concerns; communicates employee participation, suggestions, and feedback. Resolves simple, informal employee complaints and refers formal grievances or appeals to the supervisor or appropriate management official.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 3:00pm-11:30pm and on call as needed. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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 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. Certification. None. Grandfathering Provision. All MSTs that are employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-622 occupational series as MSTs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation.

Please note, that this position is above the full performance level. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U. S. programs. English Language Proficiency. MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA policy.

Grade Requirements

Creditable Experience Knowledge of Current MST Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with MST responsibilities. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as a MST. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MST experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty). Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a MST is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a MST employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met by the candidate. GS-07 Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-07 you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Receiving contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in the decontamination area; disassembling the RME and determining the correct cleaning method, such as but not limited to ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washers, cart washers and chemical cleaning/decontamination agents, as determined by manufacturer instructions; inspecting, assembling and determining the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to steam, Sterrad, Steris, ETO, and high level disinfecting scope reprocessors; performing and documenting daily operational checks and records for all sterilization equipment.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to instruct staff on the correct procedures and protocols for completing assignments. Skill in communicating with staff to ensure compliance with written directives, rules and regulations. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.

Knowledge of sterility principles in order to instruct staff on decontamination procedures. Ability to lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments. Assignment. The Lead MST works in support of the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) management team. Distributes and prioritizes workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Assures an even workflow and distribution of the workload.

Revises work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload. Assigns work to staff based on experience and training needs. Monitors and reports on the status of work. Ensures SOPs and SPS mandates are followed during the performance of workflow. Reviews work in progress or spot checks work not requiring review to ensure completed work meets supervisors' instructions on such things as work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines.

Assesses the quality and quantity of work by reviewing the cleaning, reprocessing, and distribution of technical medical equipment, material and instrumentation. Provides information to management officials concerning performance issues, assignment changes and task completion. Instructs employees on work-related activities, policies, procedures and goals. Preferred Experience: Three years of Sterile Processing experience.

Experience with endoscope reprocessing for 2 years minimum. Experience applying quality assurance skills. Ability to assess for the application of best practice. Attention to detail, time management, problem-solving, testing experience, and survey experience. Must have a good reputation with an unwavering commitment to meticulous production. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Former VA Handbook Reference: Part II Appendix G47, Effective Date: May 28, 2014 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: As required by VA Directive and Handbook 5019. This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply (preparation) and in other services and departments throughout the medical facility/campus.

May be required to work in areas that are hot, cold, drafty and poorly lighted. 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. 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.