Medical Supply Technician-Sterile Processing Advanced

Advanced Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS) of the Salt Lake City George E. Whalen Hospital. This position will be supporting the management of the facilities critical and semi-critical reusable medical devices (RMD).

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 1, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be July 15, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. 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

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• 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.
  • 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.
  • Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
  • 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.
  • Grandfathering Provision: All MSTs that are employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date (5/28/2014) 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.
• 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).

Responsibilities

• Performing the management of critical and semi-critical reusable medical devices (RMD).
• Tracking RMD in the instrument tracking program and verifying all quality assurance modalities involved in decontamination, preparation, sterilization, disinfection, distribution, and inventory management processes.
• Supports the management of critical and semi-critical RMD for the medical center.
• Performs at a full-performance level work of a Medical Supply Technician, collaborates with other MSTs and clinic (Operating Room) end users, and serves as a subject matter expert to ensure completion of work, adherence to quality assurance metrics, and reviews previously completed work of other MSTs.
• Performs tasks with little to no guidance, assistance, or instruction and may not require frequent and direct observation.
• Reviews the current and future surgery schedule and coordinates with OR personnel, SPS, and other services to ensure that all RMD, equipment, and consumable supplies will be ready for patient care utilization as requested by established surgical procedure case cart requisitions or physician preference cards.
• Submits timely requisitions to appropriate services to procure, stock, and maintain proper inventory levels of items located in the sterile core.
• Handles and stores critical and semi-critical RMD, equipment, and consumable supplies in accordance with VA policy and procedures.
• Procures stock and maintains proper RMD inventory levels located throughout the sterile core.
• Maintains the sterile core in an orderly and clean manner by cleaning storage shelves, carts, and work surfaces as required.
• Monitors environmental conditions in the sterile core and communicates and helps facilitate rectification of non-conformities of environmental conditions.
• Submits electronic work orders for non-conformities in the sterile core.
• Reviews the work of others to ensure acceptable quality assurance metrics have been attained prior to distribution and patient care utilization, facilitating rectification of non-conformities.
• Assists management with oversight and support of the RMD program.
• Assists in all consumable and reusable supply, device, and equipment inventories.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of Sterile Processing methodology and the role that a quality management system contributes to a successful RMD program.
• Assists in the review and development of policy and procedure regarding the RMD program in the sterile core.
• Demonstrates attention and compliance to facility and SPS policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), competency assessment tools (CATs), manufacturer instructions for use (MIFU), and record management.
• Manages the work area, storage, carts, supplies, devices, and equipment according to policy and directive.
• Assembles highly complex instrument sets including, but not limited to, open heart, major orthopedic total joint, cardiovascular, craniotomy, and complex endoscopic instrumentation.
• Processes all complex endoscopic instrumentation to include those medical devices used in the gastroenterology laboratory, bronchoscopy laboratory, urology, and operating room.
• Reviews manufacturer guidelines to ensure the correct methods and parameters are followed when cleaning, decontaminating, and sterilizing RMD.
• Troubleshoots and analyzes mechanical failures and makes necessary adjustments to complex decontamination and sterilization equipment, as well as interprets alarm conditions which may occur while operating the equipment.
• Informs management and healthcare staff when cleaning and processing standard operating procedures (SOPs) or instruction for use have been changed or updated to assure the changes have been validated to meet all guidelines.

Skills

• Detailed knowledge of complex surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings.
• Ability to assemble specialty operating room and clinic instrument sets.
• In-depth knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing in order to convey information and thoughts to others.

Preferred Experience

• Previously 1 year or currently full performance level VA Sterile Processing experience.
• VA Sterile Processing Certification or other Sterile Processing Certification (HSPA, formerly IAHCSMM or CBSPD).

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 MST may be required to work in areas that are hot, humid, 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 RMD, as well as discerning physical monitors and process indicators of equipment.
• On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between a contaminated environment and a carefully controlled clean environment.
• The employee wears special clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be uncomfortably warm.
• The MST is subject to burns and chemical exposure.
• The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts, and operation of equipment.

Schedule

Monday-Friday 2:00 pm-10:30 pm

Benefits

• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time off 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).

About the Organization

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology, and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.