Registered Nurse - Chief Sterile Processing Service

The Chief of Sterile Processing Service (SPS) is a direct report to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS). This position is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines that influence the organizational mission and health care. The Chief of SPS is responsible for administrative functions of the SPS program.

The Nurse IV Chief of SPS plays a leadership role in ongoing systematic evaluation and improvement of quality and effectiveness of SPS program outcomes. They provide health system-wide leadership for critical and semi-critical RMD, including sterile storage, reprocessing, standard operating procedures (SOP), competency assessment, selection, operation, and maintenance of reprocessing equipment, staff education program for RMDs, and quality management of SPS. Other duties included but not limited to the following:

• Responsible for assessing, monitoring, developing, and implementing corrective action plans for instrument processing, decontamination, sterilization, storage, biological monitoring, and high-level disinfection monitoring through an SPS Quality Management System.
• Maintains oversight and availability for consultation of non-critical RMD.
• Assesses the environment, analyzes trends, transmits data, communicates ideas, develops, and implements policies, initiates programs and systems, and collaborates in the management of resources.
• Knowledge in areas of patient care practices, microbiology asepsis, disinfection/sterilization process, adult education, infectious diseases, communication, program administration and epidemiology.
• Responsibility and oversight of evidence-based practice (EBP) infection control relating to sterile processing standards. Specific activities include but are not limited to education program development, evaluating concepts and project development, mentoring staff, and medical providers in sterile processing principles and in the implementation of projects, data collection techniques, statistical analysis, and developing evidence based clinical guidelines and protocols.
• Formulates, builds upon, and sustains key relationships with the members of the Office for Sterile Processing (OSP) and the Office of Nursing Services (ONS).
• Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for integrated programs that cross service and or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and safe, infection-free health care. Serves as the subject matter expert for all SPS activities and provides consultation when called upon.
• Collaborates with various surgical proprietary vendors that provide instrumentation that allow the agency to maintain inventory par levels that support the complex surgical cases.
• Chairs the Hospital RMD Committee and provides reports to both VISN and the National Program Office for Sterile Processing regularly. Executes leadership with accountability over the RMD program which includes the tracking of all equipment and preventive maintenance scheduling/management of a large inventory of SPS technology.
• Directs multi-service leadership and staff in the development and maintenance of SOPs for the sterilization and decontamination of all facility RMD.
• Functions as an advisor, administrator, educator, consultant, and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability.
• Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within SPS program as directed by the ADPCS.
• Supports the integration and collaboration of sterile processing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals.
• Contributes ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of nursing.
• Assesses and evaluates facility-wide patient care delivery policies that impacts the SPS program and the facility to support senior leadership goals.
• Recognizes, and supports the use of technology such as instrument tracking to impact care delivery, extracts operational data to improve patient care outcomes.
• Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
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)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm, subject to change based on needs of facility
Telework: Position is eligible for Telework, may be authorized at Supervisory discretion.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Basic Requirements:

• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)

NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification.

Preferred experience

• 2-3 years of supervisory experience.
• 2-3 years of SPS experience/certification.
• Knowledge of healthcare system audits, site visits, and quality management.
• Knowledge of facility governance structure/committee operations.

The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV:

• Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care.
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.
• Dimensions:
  • Leadership. Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level.
  • Business Acumen. Transforms health care by implementing new processes, technology, informatics, and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level.
  • Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Employs an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle. Cultivates a workforce that serves Veterans, families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust, lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level.
  • Communication and Relationship Management. Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values, beliefs and practices at the program or services level.
  • Professional and Social Responsibility. Operationalizes a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: This position requires heavy lifting and carrying 45 pounds and over, straight pulling and pushing 1 hour, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking and standing 7 hours, kneeling .5 hour, repeated bending 7 hours, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing without aid, mental and emotional stability and working with detergents and antiseptic solutions.