Medical Supply Technician - Sterile Processing

Veterans Health Administration • Salem, VA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This is a full-performance Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) position in the Sterile Processing Service at the Salem VA Medical Center in Salem, Virginia. The role focuses on reprocessing, assembling, sterilizing, storing, and distributing reusable medical equipment and surgical instrumentation—not supply ordering. The technician applies knowledge of infection control, sterilization methods, medical terminology, and instrument tracking systems to support safe patient care.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. The position is not virtual. Work regularly alternates between contaminated and carefully controlled clean environments and involves using personal protective equipment and operating sterile-processing equipment.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• At least six months of experience demonstrating the ability to perform the work or understand it; or one year of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health-care-related courses; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• For GS-06, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05, including relevant work cleaning contaminated equipment, inspecting packages, assembling basic sets and trays, operating sterilizers or high-level-disinfection scope reprocessors, and preparing operating-room case carts.
• Knowledge of surgical instruments used in operating rooms and clinics.
• Knowledge of universal precautions and prevention of cross-contamination.
• Working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, medical conditions, and procedures.
• Knowledge of sterility principles as they apply to instrumentation.
• Ability to read and interpret written instructions and procedures.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination and meet applicable background, security, onboarding, and identification requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated evaluation and certification conditions.
• Education used to qualify must be from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Nice To Haves

• Prior work experience or military service may be considered for credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval before appointment.
• Applicants pending completion of education or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected, but cannot be hired until requirements are met.

Responsibilities

• Receive contaminated critical and semi-critical reusable medical equipment in the decontamination area.
• Disassemble equipment and determine appropriate cleaning methods in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions.
• Remove debris, soil, blood, tissue, body fluids, and other contaminants using appropriate manual cleaning methods.
• Inspect, prepare, assemble, package, and sterilize reusable medical equipment using appropriate methods, including steam, low-temperature sterilization, and high-level disinfection.
• Perform quality audits of critical and semi-critical equipment for proper cleaning, assembly, and sterilization.
• Assemble reusable medical equipment sets and trays for facility use, including in operating rooms and clinics.
• Operate equipment throughout all areas of sterile processing and perform and document daily operational checks on sterilization and decontamination equipment.
• Assemble trays and peel packs, identify contents and internal chemical indicators, manage lot-control numbers, and complete wrapping, labeling, and sterilization steps.
• Monitor and document required information for sterilization and disinfection loads and sterilizers.
• Participate in the department Quality Improvement Plan, including biological spore testing, efficacy testing, and documenting testing results.
• Handle and transport sterilized items appropriately, place them in storage, and identify compromised package integrity.
• Restock sterile storage and other areas to maintain defined PAR levels of supplies, instrument trays, and other inventory items.
• Assemble case carts according to the surgical schedule and procedure-specific preference cards.
• Transport clean and soiled case carts between procedural areas and Sterile Processing, and transport additional instrumentation as needed.
• Maintain cleanliness and appropriate supply levels at department workstations.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income, child-eligibility, and program limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED