Instrument Technician

mercycare; United States; On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus up to $2000

Job summary

Mercy is seeking an Instrument Technician to serve as a technical resource for surgical instrumentation and reusable medical device processing across Central Sterile, OR, clinics, and procedural areas. You’ll promote instrument availability, regulatory compliance, and standardized reprocessing practices while educating staff and collaborating to ensure patient safety.

The role emphasizes leadership, prioritization, and independent work in a fast-paced hospital environment with rotating shifts.

Qualifications

• Education sufficient to obtain required certification.
• CRCST certification through HSPA required.
• Certified Instrument Specialist Certification required within 1 year of hire date.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a technical resource for surgical instrumentation and reusable medical device processing, including cleaning, inspection, assembly, sterilization, high-level disinfection, storage, and handling per IFUs and policies.
• Assists Central Sterile and Operating Room with instrument set maintenance, counts, loaner instrumentation, and vendor coordination.
• Performs quality and compliance monitoring of sterilization and high-level disinfection processes across the organization.
• Provides education and technical guidance to Central Sterile and clinical staff.
• Collaborates with departments to support standardization, process improvement, and patient safety.
• Demonstrates leadership, prioritizes responsibilities, and serves as a resource for the department.
• Follows safety guidelines and reports unsafe conditions or incidents.

Skills

Surgical instrumentation

Sterilization & HLD

IFU interpretation

Education & training

Education

Certification-ready education

Job description

Qualified candidates may be eligible for up to $2000 sign-on bonus

Work Shift: Variable/Rotating Shifts

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

This position supports Mercy's philosophy of patient-centered care by serving as a technical resource for surgical instrumentation, sterilization, high-level disinfection, and reusable medical device processing. The Instrument Technician supports Central Sterile, the Operating Room, clinics, and procedural areas by promoting instrument availability, quality, regulatory compliance, education, and standardized reprocessing practices throughout the organization.

Job Duties

• Serves as a technical resource for surgical instrumentation and reusable medical device processing, including cleaning, inspection, assembly, sterilization, high-level disinfection, storage, and handling in accordance with manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), organizational policies, and applicable standards.
• Supports the instrumentation needs of Central Sterile and the Operating Room by assisting with instrument set maintenance, count sheets, missing or damaged instrumentation, new products, loaner instrumentation, vendor coordination, purchasing evaluations, and prioritization based on surgical and clinical needs.
• Performs quality and compliance monitoring of sterilization and high-level disinfection processes throughout the organization, including audits, documentation review, ATP or other cleaning verification testing, tray quality reviews, and identification and follow-up of opportunities for improvement.
• Provides education, training, competencies, and technical guidance to Central Sterile and clinical staff related to instrumentation, IFUs, sterilization, high-level disinfection, and reusable medical device processing.
• Collaborates with Central Sterile, the Operating Room, clinical departments, vendors, Infection Prevention, and leadership to support standardization, process improvement, regulatory readiness, patient safety, and resolution of instrumentation or reprocessing concerns.
• Demonstrates leadership, critical thinking, effective communication, and the ability to independently prioritize responsibilities while serving as a resource and role model for the department.
• Functions within Central Sterile operations as needed and performs other duties as assigned by the Manager or department leadership.
• Follows Mercy's safety guidelines, carries out job-specific safety duties and responsibilities, and promptly reports any unsafe conditions, situations, incidents and injuries.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of surgical instrumentation, sterilization, high-level disinfection, and reusable medical device processing.
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply manufacturer IFUs and organizational policies.
• Strong critical thinking, organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to provide education and constructive guidance to staff and clinical departments.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively across departments.
• Demonstrates leadership abilities and a commitment to quality, patient safety, and continuous improvement.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years of Central Sterile/Sterile Processing experience required.
• Experience with surgical instrumentation, instrument coordination, quality monitoring, education, sterilization,, or high-level disinfection preferred.

Education

Education sufficient to obtain required certificaiton.

Licensure, Certification, Registration

• CRCST certification through HSPA required.
• Certified Instrument Specialist Certification required within 1 year of hire date.
• Additional certifications related to instrumentation, endoscope reprocessing, healthcare leadership, or surgical technology are preferred.
• Required certifications must be maintained as applicable to the position.

Physical Requirements

Heavy: Exert 50-100 lbs. of force occasionally and/or 25-50 lbs. of force frequently

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Mercy is an independent, community-based organization supporting the Cedar Rapids area for over 120 years.

Mercy is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and therefore evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, parental status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.