Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

About the role

The Syracuse VAMC is recruiting for a Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing). The incumbent provides hospital facilities with reusable and disposable medical supplies, instruments and equipment. The incumbent specializes in but is not limited to inventory management, decontamination, packaging, sterilization and distribution of supplies, instruments and equipment which provide total supply support to all clinical areas of the medical center.

Responsibilities

• Disassembles Supply Items
• Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. Properly disassembles supply items avoiding damage or unnecessary wear. Independently determines appropriate methods, avoiding damage or undue wear. Properly disassembles equipment, supply items and instruments avoiding damage or unnecessary wear following established procedures. Provides guidance to lesser experienced staff and keeps the lead tech and SPD chief informed of their progress.
• Cleans Supply Items
• Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination. Removes gross contamination by soaking in a germicide, washing with a detergent-blood solvent, scrubbing with a brush, rinsing in tap water or washing in a washer-decontaminator or ultrasonic unit. Decontaminates the full range of reusable medical supplies and equipment according to established procedures. Uses selected methods for removing gross contamination.
• Examines Condition of Supply Items
• Visually examines items for damage, deterioration, or imperfections such as rust, pitting, and cracks. Operates medical equipment to determine whether it operates correctly after re-assembly. Sends malfunctioning or damaged equipment to the equipment technician for repair. Examines the full range of reusable medical supplies and equipment according to established procedures. Uses selected methods to test or visually inspect items for damage or wear.
• Assembles/Packages/Wraps/Sterilizes Supply Items
• Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and medical conditions and procedures in order to package individual items or assemble items into sets or trays. Attaches chemical indicator tape and sterilizes according to guidelines. Sterilizes items comparing control tests to determine that correct parameters (e.g. time, temperature, and pressure) were obtained. Reads and interprets written instruction and procedures to prepare the full range of trays and sets. Removes trays of instruments from pre-sterilizing equipment, inspects items to be sure that gross contamination has been removed. Sorts the instruments by size and type, and re-assembles trays and sets based on recognition of key items or inventory needs. Uses care in packing to protect points, cutting edges and delicate instruments and to insure effective penetration of sterilizing medium. Monitors and documents the operation of the sterilizers with prescribed tests and reports any unusual readings to lead tech and chief of SPD. Removes carts and packages from the sterilizers when the cycle is completed. Inspects packages for indications of proper sterilization. Aerates gas-sterilized packages for appropriate times. Labels items to show date of sterilization and shelf-life. Provides medical supply items to users. Monitors and documents biological indicators, chemical indicators, bowie dick tests and examines equipment printouts to assure that all sterilization parameters have been met prior to release to end user.
• Distributes Supply Items to Wards, Clinic Units or Operating Rooms
• Distributes items according to established requirements, special requests or as requested. Fills requests for items based on daily schedules of needs or on individual requisitions. Performs daily inventories of wards or units supply areas and replenishes to appropriate stock levels. Consults with customers on items in short supply or out of stock, recommending possible substitutions keeping the inventory management staff informed. Assembles and sends case carts to the operating room utilizing picking tickets and checklists. Reports outages and deficiencies to lead tech and SPD chief. Gathers and reports QA data to Chief of SPD. Assists with quarterly and annual inventory.

Qualifications

• Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
• 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.
• Education. Two years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:
• Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination.
• Basic knowledge of medical terminology in order to assemble specialty operating room/clinic instrument sets.
• Basic knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment.
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.