Sterile Processing Technician

Locations: Lehi

Program length
9 months

Total cost
$3,750

Registration Open
NOW

Locations
See Map

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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, inspection, and assembly of surgical instruments, which include packaging, and sterilization. As you pay close attention to details regarding instruments, you will have to be an effective verbal and written communicator with the operating room 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 are 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.

68% Completion This data is pulled from fiscal year 2024. The displayed number does not guarantee completion of the program.

100% Placement This data is pulled from fiscal year 2024. The displayed number does not guarantee placement after the program.

Avg. salary $39k-$45k Wage data represents an estimate sourced directly from Career One Stop. Actual salaries may vary.

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

Registration Open: NOW

Minimum Age Requirement: 17 years old. High school students must be in their senior year.

Registration opens at 8:00 AM on the Student Portal, and remains open until classes are full.

  • Students will need to complete a background check, drug screen, and submit proof of immunizations through Verified Credentials. The instructor will provide more information on the first day of class.

  • Satisfy Entrance Requirements with Testing Center

Term Campus Room # Start Date – End Date Time Days
Spring 2026 Lehi Building A 221 1/5/2026-8/3/2026 7:30am-10:30am Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Spring 2026 Lehi Building A 221 1/5/2026-8/3/2026 11:30am-2:30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Total Hours: 915

Course Descriptions

Course Name Course Hours Course Credits Tuition Course Fees
Intro to Sterile Processing and Decontamination 120 4 $480.00 $254.00
Preparation and Packaging 90 3 $360.00 $100.00
Sterilization and Disinfection 120 4 $480.00 $100.00
Storage and Distribution, QA, and Equipment 90 3 $360.00 $50.00
Externship 495 11 $1,320.00

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.

Tuition/Fees Cost
Tuition: $3,000.00
Registration Fee: $40.00
Application Fee: $0.00
Course Fees: $504.00
Required Materials: $205.25
Total Cost of Program: $3,750


Note: High school students attend MTECH tuition free, and are only responsible for fees and materials.

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 Materials

Notes

Cost

Central Service Technician Manual & Workbook 9th Edition

N/A

included in course fees

Scrubs

Ordered through Safeguard

$100.00

Background Check and Drug Screen

Students will pay Verified Credentials directly

$105.25


OPTIONAL Materials

Notes

Cost

Rulers

$1.00

Industrial Sharpies

$2.00

  • MTECH Program Certificate in Sterile Processing Technician

  • Healthcare Provider Basic Life Support Certificate

  • First Aid Certificate

  • Students are prepared to take the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRST) exam

How to Apply

Submit MTECH Application

Applying is free and easy! When you apply, please choose “undecided” as your program choice. You will select Sterile Processing Technician after being accepted to MTECH.

Take the Entrance Assessment

Admission requirements may be met by taking the Entrance Assessment OR by providing qualifying documentation. The Entrance Assessment can be taken at a Testing Center, and qualifying documents can be sent to transcripts@mtec.edu.

Learn more about the assessment HERE

Register for Sterile Processing Technician

Once previous steps have been completed, eligibility is met to register for the first course within the program. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Tuition and fees are due for the first course upon registration.

Prospective students can register through the Student Portal, or in person at Student Services.

Submit Background Check, Drug Screen, and Immunization Records

These records must be submitted through Verified Credentials (VC). Upon program registration, the lead instructor will send you instructions on how to gain access to VC.

Need more information?

Program Coordinator
headshot veronica martinez
Veronica Martinez

INFORMATION SESSIONS

INFORMATION SESSIONS

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Admissions Advisors

Admission advisor meeting with student

AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS

girl using calculator in testing center
Program length
9 mos
Total cost
$3,750

Course Descriptions

Intro to Sterile Processing and Decontamination
TESP 1010
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
TESP 1110
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
TESP 1210
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
TESP 1310
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
TESP 1900
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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