Summary

This position is located in the Indian Health Service, Office of Quality, Division of Quality Assurance and Patient Safety, Rockville, MD. This position serves as the agency lead for sterilization and high-level disinfection (HLD) processes as part of Infection Prevention and Control.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

Help

Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job:

Registered Nurse Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov)

Duties:

• Develops and recommends options for various requirements, activities, and programs regarding patient safety for hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory health centers, and behavioral health facilities within the Indian Health Service.
• Develops, implements, coordinates, and maintains updated patient safety continuing education and patient safety training to meet the agency's identified needs.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates the IHS Sterile Processing/High-Level Disinfection (HLD) program.
• Directs and oversees investigations of unusual hospital infection outbreaks by Area Offices and Service Units, consulting with Indian Health Service Headquarter staff, county/state public health departments, and when necessary, in consultation with the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
• Evaluates the effectiveness of surveillance plans and recommends modifications as necessary.
• Assesses, evaluates, and makes decisions using evidence-based practice for the implementation of data, planning and refining methods.
• Uses Indian Health Service Total System Safety Strategy to develop, implement, and evaluate a national patient safety program that supports compliance with accreditation and national program standards.
• Serves as an advisor on policy and procedure development and maintenance.
• Advocates for resources to implement the Sterile Processing and HLD Program/services at the Headquarter, Area and Service Unit levels.
• Oversees, develops and manages a curriculum for Sterile Processing/HLD education to all Indian Health Service staff tailored to appropriate responsibilities and levels of understanding.
• Stays abreast of Infection Control and Prevention guidelines, regulations and standards, as well as the Indian Health Service Infection Control program to maintain availability to act as back-up for program manager when needed.
• Collaborates with Headquarters Infection Control Program Manager, Area Infection Control Consultants and Service Unit Infection Control Prevention and Control departments/staff, Nursing, and Dental Infection Control subject matter expert to support maintaining standards of Sterile Processing/HLD on the application, interpretation and implementation of policies and procedures related to each area.
• Serves as a member of the Infection Control and Prevention sub-committee to develop sterile processing and HLD improvement efforts at the agency and facility levels.
• Serves as a Nurse Consultant, on the Total System Safety sub-committee to develop patient safety measures for program evaluation at the agency and facility levels.
• Serves as a review lead for contracts related to Office of Quality based software and serves as the Contract Officers Representative.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period

U.S. Citizenship is required

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

Background Investigation Requirement:

This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Financial Suitability Requirement:

This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.

Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Qualifications

This is a competitive vacancy announcement advertised under Direct Hire Authority. Selections made under this vacancy announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given new appointments to the civil service; however, benefits, time served, and all other Federal entitlements would remain the same.

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

Note: Employees currently assigned to positions in this occupational series as of September 2017 will be considered to have met the basic requirements for the position occupied.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):

EDUCATION: A graduate or higher-level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, or an accrediting body recognized by the

U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.

LICENSURE: The work experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At the GS-9 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GS-13 (OR EQUIVALENT) GRADE LEVEL.

In addition to the mandatory license and education described above under Basic Requirements applicants must have at least one or more full years of professional nursing experience that is equivalent to the next lower grade level. Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Experience in infection prevention and control principles with emphasis on high-level disinfection (HLD), sterilization, and reusable medical device reprocessing within a healthcare organization. Experience developing, implementing, evaluating, and monitoring infection prevention, quality assurance, and patient safety programs related to sterilization and high-level disinfection; conducting surveillance, audits, and risk assessments to identify trends and ensure compliance with evidence-based practices; analyzing quality and infection prevention data to develop corrective action plans; ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements, including The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), manufacturers' Instructions for Use (IFUs), and other applicable standards governing reusable medical device reprocessing. Experience providing expert consultation and technical guidance to Sterile Processing, Endoscopy, Operating Room, and clinical staff; developing and delivering education and competency-based training; collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to improve patient safety, reduce healthcare-associated infection risk, and support continuous quality improvement initiatives related to high-level disinfection and sterilization processes.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT: The incumbent must obtain Level I Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) certification within one year of appointment and maintain the certification.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/[redacted]5-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.

This position is ineligible for the Bargaining Unit.

The Indian Health Service (IHS), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have student loan repayment programs for qualifying health disciplines. This is a competitive process separate from the hiring process. Opportunities for LRP are based on agency hiring priorities and availability of funds. For additional information please visit:

For IHS - http://www.ihs.gov/loanrepayment/

For NHSC - https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/

For HRSA Nurse Corps - https://bhw.hrsa.gov/loansscholarships/nursecorps

You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?

• Your responses are optional and will not be scored.
• However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.
• You w