• Perform daily quality assurance testing on all equipment used in the cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments.
• Compile reports on multiple aspects of instrument processing and quality assurance.
• Ensure compliance with established policies and procedures and other industry standards and regulations.
• Monitor and track surgical instruments through the use of automated instrument tracking log/system to maintain and monitor inventory records, generate purchase orders.
• Prepare contaminated surgical items for sterilization procedures and select appropriate chemical or washing agent necessary for decontaminating or cleaning surgical instruments.
• Disassemble surgical items to smallest component level for cleaning and sterilization.
• Conduct equipment testing of surgical instruments to ensure operational efficiency and surgical precision.
• Visually inspect required instruments for cleanliness, signs of damage, deterioration, or imperfection.
• Select the appropriate sterilization method based upon manufacture requirements and recommendations.
• Package instruments based on the sterilization method and established policies and procedures.
• Ensure appropriate climate control measures are maintained.
• Check the expiration date on all sterile supply items, remove all outdated items, and rotate the stock.
• Document shortages of instruments and other sterile supplies according to organizational policy and guidelines.
• Coordinate substitution of instruments with requesting surgical ward or clinics.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
• This position has been designated "Mission Essential". In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations the incumbent is required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
• This position has a requirement to lift up to 25lbs unassisted and 45lbs with assistance in the regular performance of duties.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.
• This position requires shift work to provide coverage on evenings, weekends, holidays, or special situations. Shifts are rotated on a regularly scheduled basis: 1st Shift: 0645-1515 11 Shift: 1045 -1915 2nd Shift: 1445-2315 3rd Shift: 2300-0700
• Employees assigned to a medical treatment facility are required to be screened for applicable immunizations or pre-existing immunity based on occupational risk, regardless of job series.
• This position requires the employee to use personal protective equipment provided by the employer.
• This position has a mandatory seasonal influenza vaccination requirement and is subject to annual vaccination.
• This position requires incumbent to obtain and maintain certification from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association which is a professional organization that represents healthcare Central Service (CS) professionals.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

GS-04:
General and/or Specialized Experience: Six months of general experience (1) in any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with medical equipment and supplies AND six months of specialized experience which includes sterilizing medical supplies and equipment for use in a hospital or operating rooms per regulatory standards. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-03).

OR

Education: Two years of education above the high school level that included at least 12 semester hours in courses such as medical supply processing, storage, and distribution; sterile supplies, operating room, and surgical technician courses; or other fields related to the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages.

GS-05:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes sterilizing medical supplies and equipment for use in a hospital or operating rooms per regulatory standards, and maintaining medical instrument inventory to ensure daily operations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).

OR

Education: Four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond two years (total semester hours minus 60) by 60. Add the two percentages.

GS-06:
Specialized Experience GS-06: One year of specialized experience which includes Sterilizing medical supplies and equipment for use in a hospital or operating rooms per regulatory standards; Troubleshooting sterilization equipment and machines; Inspecting medical supplies for defects; and Maintaining medical instrument inventory to ensure daily operations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.
• License/Certification: This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Next steps