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Sterile Processing Technician

Next class starts: 8/15/2024

View full schedule here.

Registration Eligibility: Adults & High School Seniors

High school seniors, ages 17 and up. Learn more.

Transfer Credit Opportunity

Credit hours for completing this program can be transferred to UVU. Learn more.

Locations

Lehi Campus - Building A

82%

Completion Rate

100%

Placement Rate

2

DWS Rating

The beginning of a successful surgery begins with clean and sterile surgical instruments. As a Sterile Processing Technician you will be an essential team member of the operating room and healthcare team. You will be responsible for the cleanliness, decontamination, inspecting and assembly of surgical instruments, packaging and sterilization of all surgical instruments.  As you pay close attention to details regarding instruments you will have to be an effective verbal and written communicator with the OR staff to make procedures a success. Sterile Processing Technicians have a strong understanding of decontamination and infection control to ensure their work protects patients and healthcare members from infections and diseases. 

After completing this course, students will be prepared to take the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) certification exam offered by the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA). This program is based on the HSPA certification, CRCST.

This program is eligible for Financial and Veterans Aid! Learn more

I absolutely love MTECH, it is such a wonderful opportunity to learn and gain education. Last year I took the EMT class and here I am back a few months later taking the advanced class, that’s how awesome it is. I love how MTECHs environment is clean, simple and always welcoming. All the classes I’ve taken so far are always fun and taught extremely well by instructors who make me feel welcomed. One of the things I love most is how efficient and on point education is here. I wanted to become an EMT and I got my licensure in such fast time. MTECH is amazing.
Alyssa Weber
Alyssa Weber
“AEMT Program has helped prepare me for more than just the EMS field. I will be leaving this program confident that I will be successful in the field and in perusing higher educational opportunities!”
NaTasha Taylor
NaTasha Taylor
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For more information, contact the Program Coordinator.
Veronica Martinez

veronica.martinez@mtec.edu

Need additional guidance? Meet with an MTECH Academic & Career Counselor.
Learn more

Adults and high school seniors.

Registration for the 2024-2025 school year opens April 23, 2024 at 8:00 am online.

Upon registration, you will register and submit payment for the first course in the program. Some fees and materials may be required upfront, while some may be paid later throughout the program.

While not required, you may make a deposit, in person or online, for the full program upon registration to be held in your student account.

  • Satisfy Entrance Requirements with Testing Center. The Entrance Assessment is free and takes about an hour to complete. To learn more visit mtec.edu/testing.
  • Background Check, drug screen, and immunizations via Verified Credentials

SECTIONCAMPUSROOM #START DATEEND DATESTART TIMEEND TIMEDAYS
Fall 2024Lehi Main Campus2218/15/20243/13/20257:30 AM10:30 AMM,T,Th,F
Fall 2024Lehi Main Campus2218/15/20243/13/202511:30 AM2:30 PMM,T,Th,F
Summer 2025Lehi Main Campus2215/27/2025TBD7:30 AM10:30 AMM,T,Th,F
Summer 2025Lehi Main Campus2215/27/2025TBD11:30 AM2:30 PMM,T,Th,F
Schedule Notes:Students will complete a 3 hour hybrid assignment each week in place of coming to class on Wednesdays; Students will complete a 500 hour externship upon completion of the class.
Format: table Extra Options: {“add-table-headers”:”true”}

Total hours: 900

Course Descriptions
 
Course NameCourse HoursCourse CreditsExternship/Clinical/ WBL CreditsTuition ($120/credit hour)Course Fees
Intro to Sterile Processing and Decontamination10030$360.00$254.00
Preparation & Packaging 9030$360.00$100.00
Sterilization & Disinfection 12040$480.00$100.00
Storage & Distribution, QA, and Equipment 9030$360.00$50.00
Externship500011$1,320.00$0.00
TOTALS:9001311$2,880.00$504.00
Format: table Extra Options: {“add-table-headers”:”true”, “skip_cols”:”2,3″}
Upon registration, you will register and submit payment for the first course in the program. While not required, you may make a deposit, in person or online, for the full program upon registration to be held in your student account.
Format: table-rows Extra Options: {“add-open-table-tag”:”true”,”add-tuition-fees-header”:”true”}
Tuition/FeesCost
Tuition:$2,880.00
Registration Fee:$40.00
Application Fee:$0.00
Student Fees:$504.00
Required Materials:$50.00
Industry Exam Fee:$0.00
Format: table-rows Extra Options: {“add-close-table-tag”:”true”}
 Course-by-course cost breakdowns can be found on the “Courses” tab above. Upon registration, you will register and submit payment for the first course in the program. Fees and materials may be required upfront, while some may be paid later throughout the program. While not required, you may make a deposit, in person or online, for the full program upon registration to be held in your student account.
Required MaterialsQuantityNotes (ISBN numbers, etc)Cost
Sterile Processing Technical Manual & Workbook, 9th Edition1 na included in course fees
Scrubs2Available in the MTECH Bookstore or Logo It On$50.00
Total Cost of Required Materials$50.00
Format: table Extra Options: {“add-table-headers”:”true”}
Optional MaterialsNotes (ISBN numbers, quantity, etc)Cost
CRCST Exam Must be completed within one year of externship$140.00
Rulers$1.00
Industrial Sharpies$2.00
Total Cost of Optional Materials$143.00
Format: table Extra Options: {“add-table-headers”:”true”}
  • MTECH Program Certificate in Sterile Processing Technician
  • Students are prepared to take the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) exam
  • Healthcare Provider BLS and First Aid Certificate

At MTECH, you will join an exclusive group of graduates who benefit from a commitment to excellence shared by everyone at the school. From instructors who deliver a relevant, industry-driven curriculum to academic counselors focused on ensuring you have the tools you need to succeed, we all share the same goal: your success as a student.

Program length
9 months
Total cost
$3,474
Lehi Campus - Building A
Apply Now

Need additional guidance?
Meet with an MTECH Academic & Career Counselor. Learn more

Program length
9 mos
Total cost
$3,474
Apply Now
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Course Descriptions

Intro to Sterile Processing and Decontamination
Sterile processing technicians play an important role to ensure patient safety, infection prevention, and providing clean, sterile instruments on a regular basis for surgical procedures. Numerous processes and lab activities will help enhance the understanding of surgical instruments going from dirty, to clean, to becoming sterile, also known as One-Way-Flow. Each area in sterile processing is a building block of achieving sterile instrumentation for surgeries. The decontamination of surgical instruments is an integral part of a sterile technician’s job. Review and practice of standard operating procedures for bloodborne pathogens, standard precautions, decontamination of surgical instruments from the OR, and decontaminated to an acceptable level. Introduction of OSHA approved PPE and how to don and doff PPE will be practiced in the lab, along with other hands-on activities to practice in the lab. These activities will help reinforce the step-by-step processes the students must understand and follow through with the current standards and guidelines for decontamination in sterile processing.
Preparation & Packaging
Identification of surgical instruments, their function and each specialty they’re used for (e.g., ortho, neuro, spine, etc.), testing methods used for specific instruments such as but not limited to laparoscopic sheath testing, scissor sharpness, tip protections and inspection for wear and tear of each instrument. Students will practice simultaneous wrapping methods, the most commonly used in the OR’s, and learn to identify sterilizing methods for each instrument set. Recognize the difference and become familiar with chemical indicators, tamper-evident seals, rigid container system and list of contents with instructions on how to assemble the instrument sets for the OR.
Sterilization & Disinfection
High temperature and low temperature sterilization methods are the two methods of sterilization used in sterile processing. Discussion of daily testing procedures for each sterilization method, performance monitoring such as physical, biological, and chemical. Knowledge of which endospore is used for each sterilization method is crucial in order to assure sterility of surgical instruments. Record keeping and monitoring of each sterilization cycle will be practiced in the lab, as well as loading a sterilizer cart correctly. The difference between disinfectants and the disinfection process will be discussed in great detail. Knowledge of these differences will ensure the student can recognize the three levels of disinfection; high, intermediate and low. Use of high-level disinfectants require OSHA approved PPE, while intermediate and low require minimal level of PPE to work with them. Activities on how to read different types of disinfectants, their intended use, contact times and which pathogens, if any, do they advertise to kill within the required contact time. The Chain of Infection will also be discussed in class and students will become familiar with each link and how to break in the infection process.
Storage & Distribution, QA, and Equipment
Sterile storage is where the instruments are stored after the sterilization process has been completed. Items will be picked for scheduled surgical procedures and be used in the OR on a patient. Items in sterile storage must have gone through the decontamination process, assembly and packaging process, and then the sterilization process. Distribution refers to the process of distributing sterile single use or reusable items to the OR and other areas within the hospital or facility. Sterile single use or sterile reusable items can be stored in the Sterile Storage area and picked by sterile processing personnel as the OR and/or other departments have requested. Par levels and other required processes of sterile item replenishment will be discussed in class. Quality Assurance is the daily testing of each sterilization method, high level disinfection process, decontamination and thermal disinfection process. Daily tests are performed and results are recorded for quality assurance and auditing purposes. Learning the record keeping processes, especially with daily testing of each sterilization method, will be practiced in the lab alongside the sterilization lab activities. Various items of equipment are used with the OR and throughout the hospital or facility. Equipment items can include: morphine drips, epidural pumps, feeding pumps, other pain management devices, etc. These equipment items are usually picked up by the sterile processing departments and disinfected using low level disinfectants. Not every hospital or facility will require sterile processing staff to complete these tasks; Distribution technicians will assume the duties in such cases and perform the necessary disinfection procedures.
Externship
Externship is arranged by the program coordinator with participating hospitals and facilities to accommodate students to work in the sterile processing departments. Students will be able to put their skills learned in the classroom and lab to use in the field. The externship may be paid if the student gains employment, as well as unpaid, if the student chooses to work in the hospital or facility on a volunteer only basis. Students will submit the hours worked and in what area (decontamination, assembly, sterilization, sterile storage, QA) to their instructor for verification of proper externship work and hours. Once the student reaches 400 externship hours, they’re eligible to sit for the HSPA CRCST exam. When the student has completed 450 hours, they will have completed the program in its entirety.
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