Summary

The incumbent will serve as the Coordinator of the Sterile Processing Services (SPS) Quality Assurance and CensiTrac Program at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center - Bronx - NY. The employee is at the advanced level of performance with respect to sterile processing. They will work in direct support of the SPS management team and has oversight of all quality assurance/CensiTrac and process improvement initiatives in SPS.

Qualifications

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 (1) Experience
• Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work
• or (2) 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 (3) Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• Certification
• None
• 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
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• English Language Proficiency
• Medical Supply Technicians (MSTs) must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Creditable Experience (1) 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
• (2) 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) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• (3) 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
• 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: The following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-07 Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) - Quality Assurance (a) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• (b) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of fact-finding and investigative techniques in order to evaluate work processes
• Ability to analyze data and make recommendations to correct quality control problems
• Knowledge of sterile processing operations - infection control procedures - and Joint Commission requirements to assess compliance during quality assurance reviews
• Ability to compile information - evaluate facts - document findings and prepare reports
• Thorough knowledge of aseptic principles and techniques to maintain quality control
• Ability to effectively communicate with technical and professional staff on the proper use of delicate instruments and equipment and resolve problems that may occur
• (c) Assignment
• The Quality Assurance (QA) Technician serves as the monitoring specialist for all activities of SPS - which includes the operating room case cart management system
• Monitors the process of cleaning/decontamination - sterilization - reprocessing - and distribution of critical - semi-critical and non-critical RME
• This includes following the use of bacteriological controls - principles and methods of sterilization - packaging - and assembly of simple to more complex items for therapeutic and surgical procedures
• Develops procedures to evaluate the quality of work performance and outcomes as it relates to the quality assurance program
• Maintains a system of internal and external reviews ensuring overall compliance of all critical - semi-critical and non-critical RME used within the medical center
• Tracks and analyzes required documentation pertaining to critical - semi-critical and non-critical RME within the scope of SPS for quality control purposes
• Utilizes qualitative analysis tools to prepare reports for trending - evaluate operations and facilitate improvements in workflow and quality processes
• Troubleshoots computer programs related to SPS operations and trains staff on the inputting of data associated with the cleaning and sterilization of equipment - biological processing - and quality assurance programs
• Collaborates with SPS management when deviations occur
• Validates SPS policies on cleaning and sterilization as it relates to manufacturer information for use - standards and mandates
• Updates the quality assurance program annually or when manufacturer information and guidelines are changed
• Preferred Experience: minimum of 5 years of sterile processing experience
• minimum of 2 years of quality assurance and instrument tracking experience - performing data collection and analysis - preparing action plans - etc
• demonstrated ability to work independently in the decontamination area - prep/pack - sterilization - and storage areas
• experience with endoscope reprocessing and using an instrument tracking system Certification preferred: Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) 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-07 - which is the actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy
• Physical Requirements: This work is performed in various settings: intake - decontamination - preparation - clean sterile supply (preparation) - out take - and in other services and departments throughout the medical facility/campus
• The incumbent may be required to work in areas that are hot - cold - drafty and poorly lighted
• The employee is subject to the possibility of exposure to toxic and caustic chemicals - slips and trips - 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 instrumentation
• Work Environment: 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
• If ETO is used - employees must be included in an exposure monitoring program managed by the VAMC Safety Manager
• The employee often works around body fluids - mucous - excretions and bits of tissue - some of which may be foul smelling
• 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 cleaning - sterilizing - and high-level disinfecting equipment.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 11:59pm on May 21 - 2025
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be April 30 - 2025 - with subsequent cut-off dates on Wednesday of each remaining week
• This announcement may be extended or removed from USAJobs.gov at any time
• Medical Supply Aide and Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Medical-Supply-Aide-Career-Flyer.pdf The VA Bronx Healthcare System provides outstanding health care - trains America's future health care providers - and conducts important medical research
• We provide health care services at 4 locations in Bronx - northern Queens - and Westchester counties
• Facilities include our James J
• Peters VA Medical Center and 3 community-based outpatient clinics in Queens - White Plains - and Yonkers
• The VA Bronx Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the New York/New Jersey VA Health Care Network
• We're an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 2 (VISN 2) - which includes medical centers and clinics in New York - New Jersey - and Pennsylvania
• The Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) - QA serves as the monitoring/Tracking specialist for all activities of SPS - which includes the operating room case cart management system
• The major duties and responsibilities of this position include but are not limited to: Monitors the process of cleaning/decontamination - sterilization - reprocessing - and distribution of critical - semi-critical and non-critical Reusable Medical Devices (RMD)
• This includes following the use of bacteriological controls - principles and methods of sterilization - packaging - and assembly of simple to more complex items for therapeutic and surgical procedures
• Develops procedures to evaluate the quality of work performance and outcomes as it relates to the quality assurance program
• Maintains a system of internal and external reviews ensuring overall compliance of all critical - semi- critical and non-critical RMD used within the medical center
• Tracks and analyzes required documentation pertaining to critical - semi-critical and non-critical RMD within the scope of SPS for quality control purposes
• Utilizes qualitative analysis tools to prepare reports for trending - evaluate operations and facilitate improvements in workflow and quality processes
• Troubleshoots computer programs related to SPS operations and trains staff on the inputting of data associated with the cleaning and sterilization of equipment - biological processing - and quality assurance programs
• Collaborates with SPS management when deviations occur
• Validates SPS policies on cleaning and sterilization as it relates to manufacturer information for use - standards - and mandates
• Updates the quality assurance program annually or when manufacturer information and guidelines are changed
• Uses instrument marking techniques for the proper identification and tracking of surgical instrumentation after sterilization
• Marks existing and new instruments and uploads to CensiTrac Maintains records produced by automated equipment tracking systems
• Demonstrates high proficiency in computer programs as they are responsible for providing expertise - guidance - and training - when necessary - for and to the staff and management of the Sterile Processing Service on the automated equipment tracking system and its interconnection with the Case Cart - Decontamination and Preparation areas
• Demonstrates competency in and uses automated equipment tracking systems to plan for and determine current and future supply and instrument requirements to meet the needs of the facility
• Utilizes and is proficient in electronic equipment tracking systems and data communication systems and is required to remain up to date as technology changes and improvements to systems are made
• Reviews data and validates information - develops templates for reporting purposes - analyzes data for performance improvement
• Monitors the quality of input and output of automated inventory management systems - recommends system and program changes to improve timeliness - accuracy - and utility of inventory information for users
• Participates in the installation of automated instrument tracking systems in SPS by defining the nature of information required - organizational responsibilities - computer network requirements - and the nature of output from the service
• Demonstrates competency in and uses various instrument marking techniques for the identification of instrumentation and utilizes the appropriate technique for the instrument composition and use
• May be required to reprocess instruments as needed
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 11am - 7:30pm with on-call rotations on weekends and holidays Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized