Sterile Processing Technician
About The Position
The Sterile Processing Technician role is a full-time position within the Sterile Processing Services department. This role is responsible for the decontamination, sterilization, and packaging of surgical instruments and equipment to ensure patient safety and operational efficiency. The technician will handle a variety of instruments, perform quality assurance testing, and manage supply orders and inventory. This position requires the ability to work in a fast-paced, stressful environment and maintain knowledge of sterilization principles and medical terminology. The role involves significant physical activity, including standing, walking, lifting, and bending, and exposure to potential hazards such as fumes, dust, chemicals, and bodily fluids, requiring the use of protective clothing.
Requirements
- High School Graduate.
- No experience required.
- Ability to function in fast paced stressful, environment.
- Knowledge of sterilization principles and applications.
- Familiarity with medical terminology.
- Must stand, walk, lift, squat, bend, twist and reach above shoulders various times throughout the workday.
- Must be able to: lift up to 50 lbs. from floor to waist.
- Must be able to: lift up to 20 lbs. over the head.
- Must be able to: carry up to 40 lbs. a reasonable distance.
- Must be able to: push/pull with 30 lbs of force.
- Must be able to: perform a sliding transfer of 150 lbs with a second person present.
Responsibilities
- Receives soiled and contaminated items in the decontamination area.
- Sorts equipment, rinses as needed, places equipment through sonic tanks and washers.
- Reassembles trays, performs safety checks, hangs and sorts instruments, wraps sets according to set policy, and wraps towels and basins appropriately.
- Sterilizes instruments and equipment using the aerator, gas sterilizer or steam sterilizer and operates glass dryer.
- Packages items in steri/peel as required.
- Performs quality assurance testing for all methods of sterilization to ensure sterility of supplies.
- Hand cleans miscellaneous instruments (Baxter pump, hypothermo units, etc.) and operates the cart cleaner.
- Ensures proper care and handling of high cost instrumentation and equipment to include items requiring special handling, laser instrumentation, orthopedic implants, cardiac assist devices, endoscopic and microscopic instrumentation.
- May build case carts according to procedure and physician preference as specified.
- File case cart sheets and requisitions, responds to Code 4s with defibrillator and back up supplies, maintains CPR annies, tests autoclaves with the tests according to procedure, and changes graphs as necessary.
- Checks incoming trays and follows up with departments as to missing instruments or parts.
- Takes immediate and appropriate action if a question of sterilizer failure occurs.
- Receives and records orders for supplies as requested by departments.
- Records accurate product number and assures all forms are correctly completed for proper billing.
- Marks, dates and stocks equipment, which may include returning to appropriate department on a timely basis.
- Opens and unpacks supply boxes, checking for damaged goods and number of items received.
- Reports any discrepancies to the supervisor.
- Performs credits for unused products returned, checks stock levels, copies supply sheets, checks carts for outdated supplies, and performs general cleaning of shelves.
- May perform various patient positioning and transporting duties, which require lifting and pushing/pulling, while utilizing proper technique.
Benefits
- Comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs
- Competitive compensation
- Generous retirement offerings
- Programs that invest in your career development
- Paid Time Off programs
- Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
- Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
- Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
- Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
- Educational Assistance Program
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
