Medical Supply Technician at Reno

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy ID: 913506 

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Countrys service. If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.

The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).

Americas Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation.

DUTIES:Back to top

The Medical Supply Technician will be working at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, Reno, NV. This position is located in the Sterile Processing and Decontamination Section.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• prepare the full range of procedural trays and sets used by the in-patient care units and out-patient clinical areas, reassembles surgical instrument sets required by general, vascular, urology, neurology, gastrointestinal (GI), ear, nose and throat (ENT), orthopedics, and other surgical specialties. Clean and process flexible endoscopes.
• Perform leak test prior to sterilization.
• Account for items that are cleaned and returned.
• Maintain production records for the decontamination area.
• Monitor daily operating room schedule.
• Monitor and conduct tests to sterilizers located in the Operating Room area.

WORK SCHEDULE: SUNDAY – SATURDAY 7:00 AM-3:30 PM, 10:00 AM - 06:30 PM, 12-NOON – 8:30 PM (ROTATING SHIFTS) AS WELL AS WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY ROTATIONS . "When Applicable employee is entitle to Night differential, Sunday pay, Holiday pay" ***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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.  Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received .

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR G-5

You must possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience includes: processing, assembling, trouble-shooting, preparing, sterilizing, storing, and issuing sterile and unsterile medical supplies and equipment; knowledge of decontamination, cleaning, preparation, sterilization, and storage procedures; knowledge of aseptic techniques; and skill in operating a washer-sterilizer, ultrasonic instrument cleaners, and gas and steam sterilizers. "This experience must reflect on your resume in detail." ~OR You must possess successful completion of a four (4) year course of study above high school leading to a bachelors degree with courses related to this position, which included medical supply processing, storage, and distribution; sterile supplies, operating room, and surgical technician courses; or other fields related to the position. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) ~OR You must possess equivalent combinations of education and specialized experience as described above to meet the total qualification requirements for this position. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.  

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position (Narrative Responses Not Required)

• KNOWLEDGE OF STERILE PROCESSING SERVICES, INVOLVING PROPER STORAGE, ROTATION OF STOCK, INVENTORY PROCEDURES AND REORDERING OF SUPPLIES.
• KNOWLEDGE OF AND EXPERIENCE WITH STERILIZERS AND STERILIZATION METHODS.
• KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, SPECIALIZED SURGICAL TRAYS AND LINEN PACKS ISSUED AND/OR PROCESSED BY STERILE PROCESSING SERVICE (SPS)
• KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY USED BY PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PERSONNEL.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The incumbent usually stands and moves from one part of the room to another while performing duties. There are frequent requirements for lifting tote bins or baskets of instruments weighing 25 pounds from floor to chest level. Must be able to open, lift and move cartons (with assistance) sometimes weighing 50 pounds or more while taking clean and sterile supplies out of cartons to put in SPSs sterile/clean storage area. Other physical demands require good eyesight, specific agility, dexterity, climbing, pushing carts (weighing several hundreds of pounds) through crowded hallways and sometimes over slight rises in doorways and elevators, stooping, kneeling, crouching and reaching using proper body mechanics.

On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between a contaminated environment and carefully controlled clean environment. In the contaminated area, the employee must wear protective clothing that includes a clean scrub suit, a head cover (cap), rubber gloves, and impervious shoe covers, eye and facial mask, impervious aprons and gown. These can often be uncomfortably warm since the work areas are warm and humid. The employee is subject to slipping on wet floor. The employee must use padded gloves to remove carts from sterilizers and trays from the carts, and is subject to burns and cuts from both clean and contaminated instruments, etc. The employee often works around body fluids, feces, mucus excretions, and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts, and the operation of sterilizers. Employees should adhere to universal precaution guidelines. Employee may be required to shower when leaving work in Decontamination Area.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.  WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.  If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.

Veterans Preference:

When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability.  If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

 

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group.  Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group.  Qualifying veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the best qualified group.  The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview.  The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

Country: USA, State: Nevada, City: Reno, Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.