Sterile Processing Technician II Certified

Under direct or indirect supervision, follows approved infection control, quality assurance, and departmental policies and procedures. Collects, cleans, decontaminates, disinfects, and/or sterilizes surgical instruments, trays, packs, reusable medical devices, and patient care equipment for inpatient Nursing and Medical Office departments. Inventories, restocks, and distributes instruments, reusable medical equipment, and medical supplies to the Medical Center.

Responsibilities

• Works primarily in a Sterile Processing Department cleaning, preparing, assembling, and sterilizing packs, instruments, and trays for the medical center and/or medical office building.
• Processes inpatient operating room instruments.
• Adheres to hand washing requirements, workflow patterns, standard precautions, sterility assurance, biological monitoring, and dress code (Infection Control - Standard Precautions).
• Validates and maintains event-related protocols; disinfection and/or sterilization load parameters and records; inventory check sheet(s); and equipment monitoring (Quality Assurance Monitoring).
• Meets regulatory requirements for sterilization, high-level disinfection, biological monitoring, and employee competencies. Accurately documents and maintains daily records of all QA and sterilization functions according to regulatory agency and Infection Control standards (Documentation).
• Adheres to Organizational and Departmental policies and procedures.
• Participates in department employee orientation (DEO), meetings, and employee evaluation and competency programs. Maintains current Sterile Processing Technician Certification. May assist in departmental in-services and training (Staff Development).
• Wears personal protective equipment. Inspects, disassembles, sorts, cleans, and processes reusable instrumentation and equipment. Selects and operates specialized cleaning equipment. Follows manufacturer recommendations for use of cleaning agents and device cleaning guidelines. Maintains adequate cleaning supplies. Reprocesses endoscopes as designated (Decontamination Skills).
• Identifies, inspects, and assembles all general and specialty instruments, various power equipment, laser, and endoscopic instruments per specifications and manufacturer recommendations (Instrumentation Assembly).
• Selects and prepares packaging materials for the sterilization of reusable instrumentation according to manufacturer guidelines (Preparation and Packaging).
• Selects appropriate method of sterilization. Maintains accurate sterilization records. Properly loads and unloads sterilization cart items. Verifies that sterilization parameters have been met before distribution of load (Principles of Sterilization).
• Collects, cleans, checks, distributes, and tracks patient care equipment. Orders patient care equipment, inventories assigned supply areas for replenishment, rotates stock appropriately, and stocks general and surgical carts. Reports all malfunctioning equipment to the appropriate department (Equipment and Supply Management).
• Demonstrates awareness of personal and work area safety at all times. Complies with facility safety policies and procedures, including those for bloodborne pathogens and communicable diseases. Takes prompt corrective actions when a hazard is identified. Attends required safety training (Workplace Safety).
• Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills. Actively supports and contributes to teamwork in the workplace. Takes responsibility and is accountable for own professional work ethics. Adheres to posted work schedules. Assists in in-service and training. Supports departmental-related computer programs. May assume interdepartmental liaison responsibilities. In the absence of the Senior Technician, may assume interdepartmental liaison responsibilities (Professionalism).

Requirements

• One year of experience in instrument processing.
• Knowledge of medical terminology to understand instrumentation, surgical procedures, and surgical schedules.
• Knowledge of various types of reusable surgical instrumentation, including power equipment and microsurgical instrumentation.
• Ability to operate Sterile Processing departmental equipment (e.g., washers, ultrasonic, steam, gas, and chemical sterilizers).
• Knowledge of cleaning patient care equipment (e.g., IV pumps, feeding pumps, pneumatic pumps, CPM machines, PCA, hypo/hyperthermia units).
• Knowledge of sterilization monitoring, record keeping, and quality assurance protocols.
• Ability to read and comprehend complex instructions, correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write simple correspondence and effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations.
• Ability to follow verbal and written instructions.
• Effective oral and written communication skills with co-workers, internal, and external customers.
• Willingness to work in a Labor Management Partnership environment.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Current CS/SPD Certification with either the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) or The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materials Management.
• One of the following certifications:
  • Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution - Ambulatory Surgery Technician Certification
  • Instrument Specialist Certificate
  • Registered Central Service Technician Certificate
  • Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution - Technician Certification
  • Flex Endoscope Reprocessor Certificate
  • Surgical Instrument Processor Certificate

Preferred Qualifications

• Departmental-related computer skills.

Schedule

• Full-time, 40 hours per week.
• Shift: Evening (03:00 PM - 11:30 PM).
• Workdays: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, with variable weekends.

Pay

$40.49 - $42.60 per hour.