Sterile Processing Technician II - Per Diem

Kern Medical•Bakersfield, CA

About The Position

Kern Medical has been a community cornerstone since its founding in 1867. Today, we are an acute care teaching center with 222 beds, offering the only advanced trauma care between Fresno and Los Angeles. Kern Medical cares for 15,500 inpatients and 125,000 clinic patients a year. Per Diem employees supplement department staffing needs, with no guarantee of minimum hours. Per Diem minimum scheduling expectation is four (4) shifts per four-week schedule. Position: Sterile Processing Technician II - Per Diem Definition: Performs decontamination, cleaning, assembling, packaging, scanning, sterilization, storage and distribution of reusable surgical/medical instrumentation and equipment. Distinguishing Characteristics: The Sterile Processing Technician II is the certified level of the Sterile Processing Technician series. Maintains a high level of surgical conscience in professional behavior demonstrating understanding and application of principles to ensure high quality decontamination, assembly and sterilization of medical/surgical supplies and instrumentation.

Requirements

High School Diploma/GED required
Completion of an approved Sterile Processing course or equivalent Surgical Services related experience required
Sterile Processing Technician certification required by either: Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) (previously known as the International Association Healthcare Central Services Material Management (IAHCSMM))
Appointees not possessing the American Heart Association Responder or Provider Basic Life Support (BLS) card at time of hire must successfully complete appropriate training and qualify for the RQI Responder certification within 60 days of employment. As a continued condition of employment, employee must maintain RQI Responder certification and competency.
If position responsibilities require driving a personal vehicle, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s License and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.
If position responsibilities require driving a vehicle owned, leased or rented by Kern Medical, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s license, a signed authorization for Release of Drivers Record Information and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.

Responsibilities

Demonstrates knowledge related to maintenance, cleanliness, and sterilization of instruments and equipment
Demonstrates awareness of appropriate sterilization method required for different instruments in accordance to manufacturer’s instructions
Demonstrates knowledge of high-level disinfection and sterilization of endoscopy equipment. (Maintains daily log, testing for efficacy of disinfecting solution with each cycle, performs biological tests and completes log, as per Kern Medical policies
Receives all soiled instrumentation and implements the appropriate decontamination process per manufacturer instructions
Practices Standards Precautions and utilizes required Personal Protective Equipment
Prepares the Decontamination and Assembly Room with supplies and equipment needed
Tests operational efficiency of Instrumentation prior to reprocessing and reports problems to Leadership
Wraps trays and individual items according to established departmental protocols. Labels each item with name and processing date
Monitors all instrumentation for proper sterilization prior to releasing for use
Places Sterilized instruments on appropriate shelving and rotates accordingly
Prioritizes and organizes instrumentation, equipment and supplies
Implements manual cleaning cycle for autoclaves and Steris machines and other sterilizing/disinfecting machines
Performs required quality controls e.g. Bowie Dick, DART, Biological Monitoring, Disinfecting Solution Efficacy Testing, Test Strips as indicated
Maintains instruments/trays/scopes inventory and associated count sheets
Anticipates high priority turn-arounds requests for specialized instrumentation to meet daily volume demands
Reviews schedule daily for case instrumentation needs; remains abreast of changes made in the OR schedule
Maintains a clean and orderly central processing area (e.g. shelves, counters, equipment)
Utilizes supplies and resources in a cost effective manner
Appropriately handles the disposal of biohazardous materials
Must possess thorough knowledge of surgical instrumentation.
Orders, restocks, and maintains essential inventory for departmental efficiency
Performs departmental environmental maintenance duties ensuring a clean and organized work environment
Communicates with Material Management and Departmental Leadership any requests for equipment maintenance, repair or replacement, and removes defective equipment.
Maintains current knowledge of advances and current trends in Sterile Processing
Demonstrates attention to detail by ensuring that all documentation is legible, complete, accurate, and factual.