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
• Grandfathering Provision
• All MSTs that are employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-622 occupational series as MSTs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation
• (2) MSTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• (3) MSTs who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
• 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
• English Language Proficiency
• MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part
• 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: GS-06 (Full Performance Level) (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 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
• PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The incumbent usually stands and moves from one part of the room to another while performing duties
• Is frequently required to lift packages weighing 50 pounds, and regularly pushes carts weighing up to 300 pounds for distances up to 2640 feet
• Work Environment: On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between a contaminated environment and a carefully controlled clean environment
• In both, the employee is required to wear special clothing, hair cover, mask/beard cover, full face shield and shoe covers, which can be uncomfortably warm
• While handling contaminated medical supplies, the employee also uses decontamination gloves and an impervious gown
• The area is often hot and humid
• The employee is subject to slipping on wet floors
• The employee must use padded gloves to remove carts from sterilizers and trays from the carts
• The employee is subject to burns from accidentally touching hot items, to cuts from both sterile and contaminated instruments, knife blades and needles and dermatitis from frequent contact with cleaning agents
• The employee often works around body fluids, mucus, excretions, and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling
• Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while disinfecting instruments, patient care equipment, and work surfaces
• The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts, and operation of pre-sterilizing equipment
• Use of ultrasonic equipment may require use of hearing protection.