This Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position is in the Sterile Processing Service at the VA Maine Healthcare System located at the Togus location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week. 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: Citizen of the United States. English Language Proficiency: MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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. 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. 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 appointment, the following criteria must be used when determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates: GS-08 Experience: Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7). 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, you 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: Sterile Processing and Supervisory Experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. Physical Requirements: Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes incumbent to biohazards, hazardous chemicals, and hazardous medications common in a health care environment. Such exposure will be mitigated, in accordance with local policies and operating procedures, as per USP800 standards, OSHA guidance, and local risk assessment practices. Standard safety precautions and PPE are required and specified per local policies. The work requires some walking and standing during a normal workday. Some heavy lifting may be required (e.g., carrying heavy items such as surgical instruments, breaking down supplies and carrying small boxes). The employee will routinely alternate between a contaminated and a carefully controlled clean environment. In both, the employee is required to wear special protective clothing, which is often uncomfortably warm and restrictive. If processing contaminated supplies, the employee must wear a hair cover, gloves, impervious gown, and impervious shoe covers. The work area may be confining, hot and humid and the employee subject to falls from slipping on wet floors, burns from handling hot surgical trays, cuts associated with the handling of surgical instruments, and dermatitis from various cleaning agents used during disinfection procedures. Unpleasant orders are encountered frequently during the processing of items. The work area can be quite noisy due to the clatter of metal upon metal when working with instruments and trays, the rumble of carts, and the operations of sterilizing equipment, ultrasonic cleaners, and automatic transport systems. 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. Work is performed in a Medical Center setting and involves regular and recurring exposure to contagious disease, to various hazards from processing equipment and exposure to exposure to extreme temperature changes. In the performance of official duties, the employee must be able to utilize office automation equipment, personal computers, bar code scanners, fax, and copier machines and CENSITRAC software programs, and possesses the ability to apply skills to ever changing office/inventory technologies. The employee must be proficient in utilizing the CENSITRAC and other VA automated systems. ["Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Supply Aide and Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Medical-Supply-Aide-Career-Flyer.pdf This position serves as a supervisory technician in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS). SPS is the central point within the Medical Center from which patient care medical/surgical supply inventory; instruments and equipment are received, processed, packaged, and distributed. SPS consists of three distinct units: Decontamination; Sterile Preparation and Distributions. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Coordinate all operations, priorities, and procedures daily within the Sterile Processing Department. Collaborates with Lead Technician to ensure work is distributed in the most fair and equitable manner. Plans and assigns work on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis and adjusts assignments during a workday to alleviate halt points in reprocessing activities. Responsible for the direct supervision of day-to-day operations in SPS during the evening tour of duty, including reusable medical devices (RMD) reprocessing for all clinical services including management of the Decontamination Unit, Sterile preparation area, and sterile storage of RMD. Directly oversees the work of employees under his/her supervision, orients new employees to their duties, validates competencies of employees, identifies equipment requirements, and recommends methods to improve the quality and productivity of the service. Evaluates employee performance and behavior, and if deficient, will initiate appropriate corrective and disciplinary actions. Hears and resolves complaints from employees, referring group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to a higher-level supervisor or manager. Advises the Chief SPS of problems in the organization's activities, and provides input that may lead to disciplinary actions, such as counseling and formal disciplinary action, within the framework of progressive discipline; recommendation may include termination, especially separation during the probationary period. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 2:30pm - 11:00 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F04998 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is covered by a special rate. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment."]

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