The Sterile Processing Technician Certificate prepares students for a career in a hospital or medical center setting as a sterile or central sterile processing technician. The sterile processing technician is responsible for preparing surgical and procedural instruments. This includes cleaning, sterilizing, packaging, transporting and storing instruments. Technicians follow specific procedures to ensure instruments are safe for future use. Students will learn skills in accordance with the standards and guidelines recommended by the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management (IAHCSMM). Upon successful completion of the program and the required work experience the graduate is eligible to take a national certification exam.
Admission Requirements:
- Successful completion of EGL 089 or EGL 095 or reading placement into EGL 089 or EGL 095.
- Clinical placement requires a health assessment, certain immunizations, flu and COVID vaccination, criminal background check and health insurance. The requirements may represent additional costs to the student.
All Oakton College Health Career students in a program with a clinical component must have “clear” criminal background checks and drug screens in order to participate in any and all clinical components of any health career program courses.
Students who refuse a criminal background check will not be considered "clear" and will not be authorized to participate in the clinical component of the program, necessitating withdrawal from the program at that time. Individual results of student background check are considered confidential.
Sterile Processing Technician Certificate
10 Semester Credit Hours; Curriculum: 0330
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses for a Certificate | ||
| HIT 104 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| SPT 110 | Sterile Processing Department Procedures | 1 |
| SPT 111 | Sterile Processing Technology | 3 |
| SPT 120 | Sterile Processing Technician Practicum | 3 |
| Total Hours | 10 | |
Program Leaning Outcomes
- Apply cleaning, decontamination, and disinfection sterile processing techniques.
- Use equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, and quality assurance procedures.
- Prepare and package instruments according to safety standards and standard operating procedures.
- Maintain accurate documentation records for equipment maintenance, environmental condition monitoring, and employee education, safety, and risk management.
- Operate and monitor sterilization equipment.
- Communicate effectively in writing and orally using appropriate terminology and professional etiquette.
- Manage sterile storage and inventory and environmental conditions.
- Apply safety and regulatory area-specific requirements.
Sterile Processing Technician Certificate Courses
Course presents medical terminology through study of medical word roots, prefixes and suffixes. Focus on relationships among symptomatic, disease, and procedural terms.
Course introduces the primary skills and responsibilities of a sterile processing technician. Focuses on safety awareness standards, recording keeping and documentation, environmental condition standards, instrumentation preparation, sterile storage and inventory management strategies and techniques, and professional skills in a healthcare setting.
Course introduces the primary skills and responsibilities of a sterile processing technician. Students will learn sterile processing techniques and procedures related to equipment maintenance and efficacy, disinfection, instrument decontamination and preparation for transportation to work areas, sterilization methods, and sterile storage and inventory.
Course involves placement in an approved field to integrate and apply knowledge and skills in a clinical setting. Minimum of 100 (one hundred) hours in a supervised field experience. Focus of practical experience in core functions includes the 25% of the hands-on-hours of experience required to be eligible for Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) Certification (CRCST Certification also requires successful completion of the CRCST certification exam). Core functions of the clinical experience include decontamination, preparing and packing instruments, sterilization and disinfection, storage and distribution, quality assurance processes, and equipment.