Sterile Processing Tech Job Description

By Allison Skoglind, allied health world contributing writer
Published: March, 15 2011

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Where are sterile processing technicians employed?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (US BLS), there were approximately 47,070 medical equipment preparers (including sterile processing technicians) employed throughout the nation in 2009. Between 2008 and 2018 the US BLS anticipates a projected employment growth of 7% to 13%, which may potentially open up as many as 11,200 new positions. The industries that employed the highest number of SPTs were general medical and surgical hospitals, offices of dentists, offices of physicians, outpatient care centers, as well as colleges, universities, and professional schools. However, other sterile processing jobs may also be available at diagnostic centers, nursing homes, medical centers, assisted living facilities, surgical instrumentation corporations, and veterinary offices. In addition, the top paying industries for employed sterile processing technicians include the federal executive branch, medical equipment and supplies manufacturing, local government, specialty hospitals, and employment services. The states with the highest concentration of employed SPTs are Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. On the other hand, the highest paying states for SPTs included the District of Columbia (Washington, DC), Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut.

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What is commonly included in a sterile processing technician’s job description?

Regardless of where a sterile processing technician gains employment, all SPTs can anticipate a similar job description. The Certification Board for Sterile

Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) expects all SPTs to know how to properly perform tasks regarding the decontamination, preparation and handing, sterilization, and sterile storage, inventory management, and distribution of medical and surgical instruments, supplies, and equipment. In terms of tasks relating to decontamination, SPTs often use detergents, disinfectants, enzymatics, and germicides to effectively decontaminate medical instruments, supplies, and equipment; safely dispose biohazardous substances, chemicals, and medical waste; and carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions in the treatment and use of all instrumentation products.

Another major part of an SPTs job is preparing and handling sterilized medical instruments, supplies, and equipment. Common duties associated with preparation and handling include applying inspection and examination techniques to instruments and equipment; identifying the various functions of instruments; and implementing all necessary processing requirements for instruments and equipment. Furthermore, before any medical tools or mechanisms are used on patients they must be thoroughly sterilized by an SPT. As such, SPTs frequently monitor and test the effectiveness of sterilizers; precisely analyze and document important data concerning sterilization printouts, charts, biological indicators, chemical indicators and chemical integrators; all with an understanding of the cycles and limitations of sterilizers.

Finally, most SPT job descriptions involve aspects of sterile storage, inventory management, and distribution of medical supplies that may involve executing recall procedures for defective products; attentively tracking the amount of medical supplies used within the facility; and taking responsibility for stock rotation of medical materials.

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