Sterile processing technicians clean, inspect, assemble, and sterilize the instruments that surgery depends on. An operating room cannot start a case without a complete, sterile tray.
Hospitals and surgery centers employ most of them. When the department is short, cases get delayed, which makes this one of the quietest hires with the loudest effect.
The work
You decontaminate used instruments, inspect them, and build trays to a count sheet. Then you run the sterilizer and track each load.
The schedule drives the work. An add-on case or a missing instrument means a rush, and the tray still has to be right.
License and training
Most states do not license this work, but a few, including New York and New Jersey, require certification for new hires. Employers often want CRCST from HSPA or CSPDT from CBSPD. Confirm the rule in your state.
Questions
Why does the wage say medical equipment preparers?
That is the BLS title for sterile processing work. It covers the technicians who clean and sterilize surgical instruments.
Is certification required?
In a few states it is required for new hires. Elsewhere it is common in postings but not the law.
Hiring sterile processing technicians
Metros
- Birmingham, AL
- Daphne, AL
- Dothan, AL
- Huntsville, AL
- Mobile, AL
- Montgomery, AL
- Anchorage, AK
- Phoenix, AZ
- Prescott Valley, AZ
- Tucson, AZ
- Fayetteville, AR
- Little Rock, AR
- Bakersfield, CA
- Chico, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Merced, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Redding, CA
- Riverside, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Salinas, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Santa Maria, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Stockton, CA
- Vallejo, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Boulder, CO
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Denver, CO
- Fort Collins, CO
- Grand Junction, CO
- Greeley, CO
- Pueblo, CO
- Bridgeport, CT
- Hartford, CT
- New Haven, CT
- Norwich, CT
- Waterbury, CT
- Washington, DC
- Cape Coral, FL
- Deltona, FL
- Homosassa Springs, FL
- Jacksonville, FL
- Lakeland, FL
- Miami, FL
- Naples, FL
- North Port, FL
- Ocala, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Palm Bay, FL
- Pensacola, FL
- Port St. Lucie, FL
- Sebastian, FL
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Wildwood, FL
- Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Atlanta, GA
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA
- Columbus, GA
- Macon-Bibb County, GA
- Savannah, GA
- Urban Honolulu, HI
- Boise City, ID
- Idaho Falls, ID
- Pocatello, ID
- Bloomington, IL
- Champaign, IL
- Chicago, IL
- Peoria, IL
- Rockford, IL
- Springfield, IL
- Bloomington, IN
- Elkhart, IN
- Evansville, IN
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Indianapolis, IN
- Lafayette, IN
- South Bend, IN
- Cedar Rapids, IA
- Davenport, IA
- Des Moines, IA
- Iowa City, IA
- Sioux City, IA
- Waterloo, IA
- Wichita, KS
- Lexington-Fayette, KY
- Louisville, KY
- Paducah, KY
- Alexandria, LA
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Houma, LA
- Lafayette, LA
- New Orleans, LA
- Shreveport, LA
- Slidell, LA
- Bangor, ME
- Portland, ME
- Baltimore, MD
- Hagerstown, MD
- Barnstable Town, MA
- Boston, MA
- Springfield, MA
- Worcester, MA
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Detroit, MI
- Flint, MI
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Lansing, MI
- Saginaw, MI
- Traverse City, MI
- Duluth, MN
- Minneapolis, MN
- Rochester, MN
- Gulfport, MS
- Hattiesburg, MS
- Jackson, MS
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Columbia, MO
- Joplin, MO
- Kansas City, MO
- Springfield, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Billings, MT
- Bozeman, MT
- Missoula, MT
- Lincoln, NE
- Omaha, NE
- Las Vegas, NV
- Reno, NV
- Manchester, NH
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Trenton, NJ
- Albuquerque, NM
- Farmington, NM
- Albany, NY
- Binghamton, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Kiryas Joel, NY
- New York, NY
- Rochester, NY
- Syracuse, NY
- Utica, NY
- Asheville, NC
- Charlotte, NC
- Durham, NC
- Fayetteville, NC
- Greensboro, NC
- Greenville, NC
- Hickory, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Wilmington, NC
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Bismarck, ND
- Fargo, ND
- Grand Forks, ND
- Akron, OH
- Canton, OH
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Dayton, OH
- Lima, OH
- Mansfield, OH
- Toledo, OH
- Youngstown, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Bend, OR
- Corvallis, OR
- Eugene, OR
- Grants Pass, OR
- Medford, OR
- Portland, OR
- Salem, OR
- Allentown, PA
- Chambersburg, PA
- Erie, PA
- Harrisburg, PA
- Lancaster, PA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Reading, PA
- Scranton, PA
- York, PA
- Providence, RI
- Charleston, SC
- Columbia, SC
- Florence, SC
- Greenville, SC
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Spartanburg, SC
- Rapid City, SD
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Chattanooga, TN
- Jackson, TN
- Johnson City, TN
- Kingsport, TN
- Knoxville, TN
- Memphis, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Amarillo, TX
- Austin, TX
- Beaumont, TX
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Dallas, TX
- El Paso, TX
- Houston, TX
- Longview, TX
- Lubbock, TX
- McAllen, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Tyler, TX
- Ogden, UT
- Provo, UT
- Burlington, VT
- Richmond, VA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Bellingham, WA
- Bremerton, WA
- Kennewick, WA
- Mount Vernon, WA
- Olympia, WA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Wenatchee, WA
- Yakima, WA
- Charleston, WV
- Huntington, WV
- Appleton, WI
- Eau Claire, WI
- Green Bay, WI
- Janesville, WI
- Kenosha, WI
- Madison, WI
- Milwaukee, WI
- Wausau, WI