Sterile Processing Technician II NS

About the role

Being part of the SPD team puts you in an environment that supports patient care and allows you to continue to grow within the Banner family! As a Sterile Processing Technician, you will have a direct impact on the department and the opportunity to contribute to the growth of other techs. In this role, you will work independently to provide services in the decontamination and sterile processing areas whenever monitoring of sterilizers is needed.

Responsibilities

• Performs as an integral part of the OR team with limited supervision, ensuring sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable supplies are complete and ready for a procedure prior to the preceding patient leaving the operating room.
• Provides decontamination and sterile processing support to PeriOp Services, ED, ICU, hospital wide departments, and clinics both on and off campus, and ambulatory surgery centers.
• Provides various levels of service for the management of sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable patient care supplies, including decontamination of surgical instruments, assembly/sterilization, sterile instrument storage, partial or complete case cart support, OR core tech support and high-level disinfection.
• Responsible for the decontamination, assembly, and packaging of surgical instruments following established protocols and instructions for use (IFU), performs required quality assurance, repairs, reassembly, documentation, sterility handling, and storage of specialized surgical instruments.
• Maintains required sterilization logs and quality assurance records relating to all equipment associated for the purpose of decontamination, high-level disinfection, and sterilization.
• Ability to identify and interpret the surgical schedule and medical terminology as it pertains to procedures requiring sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable supplies; addresses and communicates special needs to minimize delays to surgery.
• Responds to emergent calls from the Operating Room and performs preliminary investigations; determines priority level of instrumentation requests and other hospital needs.
• Directs services in a competent and professional manner while assuring OR priorities are completed in a timely manner.
• Able to differentiate surgical instrumentation that is surgery owned, consignment/loaner, hospital department, surgeon, ambulatory surgery center, and clinics both on and off campus.
• Completes necessary tracking of surgical instruments with a paper log sheet or computer process for instrumentation leaving the area; reports needed replacement of surgical instruments to maintain the inventory and support readiness of sets.
• Utilizes specialized equipment for the decontamination, high-level disinfection, and sterilization of surgical instrumentation according to the device and equipment manufacturer’s recommendations and hospital policy, including steam and hydrogen peroxide sterilizers of various sizes, automated surgical instrument washers, ultrasonics, flush pumps, visualization devices, and cart washers (including high-level disinfectors where supported).
• Operates various quality assurance testing equipment associated with flexible endoscopic scopes, transesophageal ultrasound probes, and electro-surgical insulation defect detector for laparoscopic and energy-provided surgical instrumentation.
• Utilizes heat detection devices to allow steam sterilized surgical instrumentation to be released for use without risking burns to staff and patients.
• Operates demagnetizers of stainless-steel instruments for ophthalmic and delicate cardiac surgical instrumentation for safe use on patients.
• Utilizes various borescope devices to inspect inner channels of lumened surgical instrumentation and flexible scopes.
• Maintains a clean and safe environment by adhering to Standard Precautions and Infection Control practices, including proper donning of personnel protective equipment (PPE) while completing the decontamination process referencing IFUs supplied by the manufacturers.
• Maintains flexibility to rotate shifts and adjust hours as needed, maintains a work record of regular attendance, timely arrivals, and departures, and maintains a professional appearance appropriate to position and function.

Requirements

• High school diploma/GED or equivalent working knowledge.
• Minimum one (1) year experience as a Sterile Processing Technician OR certified as an SPD Technician (CSPDT) or Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) with less than one year of experience.
• Mechanical aptitude with the ability to break down moving parts, clean, lubricate and reassemble.
• Ability to problem solve incomplete trays and missing instrumentation.
• Effective organizational, communication and human relation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Instrument management tracking system experience.
• Complete national certification as an SPD Technician (CSPDT) or Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) within one year of hire.
• Additional related education and/or experience.

Shift details

Full-time, Night Shift: Friday – Monday, 4 days per week, 7 pm–5:30 am.