Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Boston, Massachusetts

Salary Range: $46827 - $78163 Per Year

Job Summary: This Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position is in the Sterile Processing Service at the VA Boston Healthcare System located at the West Roxbury, MA location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week. Evening Tour, 2:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Work hours subject to change per departmental needs. Compressed schedule hours will be 2:30pm to 1am, 4 days/week with on-call rotation during Monday-Friday 1 a.m. - 5 a.m. and 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Major Duties:

• This position provides sterilization, preparation, supply items and reusable medical equipment (RME) decontamination and distribution support for the medical center. Duties include, but are not limited to: Receives contaminated critical and semi-critical RME in decontamination area. Disassembles the RME and determines the correct cleaning method, such as but not limited to: ultrasonic cleaners, mechanical washers, cart washers and chemical cleaning/decontamination agents as determined by manufactures instructions. Inspects, prepares, assembles and determines the correct method and packaging for sterilization such as but not limited to: steam, VPRO and high-level disinfecting. Prepare operating room case carts daily utilizing surgery schedule. Correctly organizes reprocessed items on shelves, insuring that rotation of stock using First In- First Out (FIFO) method. Removes soil, blood, tissue fragments, body fluids and other contaminants by wiping, soaking, rinsing and scrubbing. Performs segments of work pertaining to the decontamination, sterilization and inspection of reusable medical equipment (RME). Operates equipment involved in sterilization processes. Prepares, loads, and operates sterilizers such as steam, Steris VPRO and high-level disinfecting. Completes segments of work pertaining to the assembly of basic sets and trays for use in the medical center. Performs high level disinfection using Cidex OPA, or equivalent according to manufacturer guidelines; documents and validates that chemicals are tested and meet requirements to ensure that disinfection has properly occurred. Note: Duties may vary based on grade determination. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 2:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Compressed schedule available with rotation to on-call hours per departmental policy. Compressed schedule hours will be 2:30pm to 1am, 4 days/week with on-call rotation during Monday-Friday 1 a.m. - 5 a.m. and 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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 #: F02635, F02638, F02639, F02640 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

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. English Language Proficiency: Medical Supply Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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. Grade Requirements: Creditable Experience 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. 3 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. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a MST is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. Grade Determinations. The following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-03 Experience or Education (Entry Level) None beyond the basic requirements. GS-04 Experience or Education: (Developmental Level) 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. OR Education: Two years of education above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation. NOTE: Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or nursing assistants obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces, the U.S. Maritime Service, or hospitals under close medical and professional supervision, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to 6 months of experience. 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. GS-05 Experience or Education: (Developmental Level) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 4); OR Education: Four academic years above high school leading to a Bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation or a Bachelor's degree. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: Basic knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. Basic knowledge of event-related packaging in regards to sterility. Knowledge of sterilization and cleaning equipment. GS-06 Experience: (Full Performance Level) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 5). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinic settings. Knowledge of universal precautions for safety and prevention of cross contamination. Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions and procedures. Knowledge of sterility principles in regards to instrumentation. Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures. 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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06. 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. This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply(preparation) 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 falls, 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 25 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation. 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, and 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. The hazards of working around minute quantities of sterilizing gasses are unknown. 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 pre-sterilizing equipment. 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.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/07/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12943399. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-07