Associate Chief Nurse Sterile Processing

Summary The Associate Chief Nurse of Sterile Processing Service (SPS) is a direct report to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, a Complexity lA facility. The ACN of SPS is responsible for administrative functions of the SPS program which includes membership on the following committees: Infection Prevention/Control; Water Safety (Biomedical Engineering); Clinical Product Review Committee (CPRC); Reusable Medical Device (RMD) Committee. Responsibilities The ACN of SPS functions as an administrator, educator, and consultant utilizing management theory in collaboration with Patient Care Service and other services. Establishes and maintains effective relationships with all levels of medical center personnel and relate effectively with customers, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels. Key relationships with staff are needed to assist SPS managers and Lead Medical Staff Technicians to carry out the functions and activities expected of them, contribute ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care outcomes, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of nursing under SPS, organization-wide, assist in policy-making activities as related to customer service/the overall functioning of administrative and clinical programs, and collaborate with other health care staff to establish and maintain programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. The ACN of SPS plays a leadership role in ongoing systematic evaluation and improvement of quality and effectiveness of SPS program outcomes. The incumbent provides health system-wide leadership for critical and semi-critical RMD, including sterile storage, reprocessing, standard operating procedures, competency assessment, selection, operation/maintenance of reprocessing equipment, staff education program for RMDs, and quality management of SPS. The incumbent is 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. Additionally, the incumbent maintains oversight and availability for consultation of non-critical RMD. The incumbent assesses the environment, analyzes trends, transmits data, communicates ideas, develops, and implements policies, initiates programs and systems, and collaborates in the management of resources. The incumbent has knowledge in areas of patient care practices, microbiology, asepsis, disinfection/sterilization process, adult education, infectious diseases, communication, program administration and epidemiology. The incumbent has responsibility and oversight of evidence-based practice 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. This position is accountable for the SPS as well as oversight of the use of RMD within the VAPHS and Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The ACN of SPS 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. The scope of the SPS department is wide-reaching and the consultative information provided to executive leadership impacts the healthcare system at all levels (local, regional, and national). Collaborates in the development and implementation of policies and procedures relating to sterile processing and infection control practices throughout the healthcare system. Collaborates with various surgical proprietary vendors that provide instrumentation that allow the agency to maintain inventory par levels that support the complex surgical cases. These arrangements also require the incumbent to forecast upcoming supply and demand of highly specialized surgical instrumentation especially when our facility competes with other healthcare systems in our region (private sector facilities). 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 Preferred Experience: Preferably 10 plus year's experience, with a few years in leadership OR experience preferred Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4PM Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the

Created: 2026-03-09