Description

• Decontaminates and sterilizes instruments, medical supplies and equipment, and assembles, wraps and sterilizes trays of instruments. Follows proper Standard Precautions while in decontamination and sterilization areas.
• Monitors biological and chemical wash solution to ensure quality and consistency for decontamination of instruments and medical equipment.
• Sorts mismatched sets of instruments, trays, and medical equipment and makes them available to sterile processing customers in a timely manner.
• Restocks, labels, and maintains inventory, submits requisitions, collects and distributes instruments, trays, crash carts, and facility medical equipment.
• Performs environmental maintenance duties and assists in maintaining inventory levels in sterile processing, the operating room, and in equipment storage areas.
• Verifies that equipment functions properly, requisitions for equipment maintenance, repair or replacement, and removes defective equipment.
• Maintains a clean work area.
• Assists with maintaining established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, and quality improvement, safety, and environmental and infection control standards.
• Understands hospital policy in regards to sterilization procedures of instruments and implants. Assembles instruments in proper wrap/package and prepares them for the re-sterilization process after each use. Assigns sterilization dates to all packages. Monitors integrity of packages, sterilization indicators and expiration dates.
• Demonstrates knowledge with safe and proper cleaning techniques for instruments. Demonstrates awareness of routine maintenance for sterilization systems. Accurately records all testing of equipment and reports malfunctions to appropriate personnel. Includes proper care, cleaning, handling and storage of endoscopes and related equipment and accessories.

Requirements

BLS required upon hire and maintained throughout employment. Sterile processing technician certification or completion from accredited sterile processing technician program required.

Summary

Central Processing Technician in the Surgery department is a medical support worker who sterilizes and prepares equipment and instruments, such as surgical tools for use on the sterile field. The technician must follow guidelines for sterilization exactly, since most medical equipment must be completely decontaminated before use. They are also responsible for maintaining necessary supply levels in sterile storage areas. Other day-to-day duties of sterile processing technicians include: • Operating and monitoring steam autoclaves, sonic washers, sterrad and other sterilizing equipment • Cleaning sterilizing equipment • Organizing surgical instrument trays • Recording sterilizer and sterrad test results