Sterile Processing Technician I

bannerhealth; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Banner Health in Tucson is seeking a Sterile Processing Technician for the Evening shift at Banner - University Medical Center Tucson. You will decontaminate, assemble, and sterilize surgical instruments, ensuring readiness for procedures and adherence to QA requirements.

The role supports PeriOp Services and multiple hospital departments, with evening and weekend call rotations. Prior instrumentation experience and strong teamwork are valued for maintaining high patient care standards.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Mechanical aptitude and ability to break down, clean, reassemble instruments with attention to detail.
• Strong organizational and communication skills are essential.
• Effective human relations and teamwork abilities are expected.

Responsibilities

• Provides decontamination and sterile processing support to PeriOp Services and hospital departments.
• Performs decontamination, assembly, packaging, and aseptic handling of surgical instruments.
• Keeps sterilization logs and QA records; ensures instrument tracking and inventory.
• Interprets surgical schedules and prioritizes instrumentation needs for surgeries.
• Operates steam and Hydrogen Peroxide sterilizers and instrument washers.
• Maintains clean, safe work area following PPE and infection control protocols.
• Rotates shifts and adheres to attendance policies.
• Responds to OR calls and assists with urgent instrument requests.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Human relations skills

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Steam sterilizers

Hydrogen peroxide sterilizers

Autoclave/instrument washers

Demagnetizers

Ultrasonic cleaners

Job description

Primary City/State: Tucson, Arizona

Department Name: Sterile Processing Dept-Hosp

Work Shift: Evening

Job Category: Clinical Support

Take a virtual tour of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.

For 2025, Banner Health was named to Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America list for the third consecutive year and named to Newsweek's list of Most Trustworthy Companies in America for the second year in a row. We’re honored to be recognized for our commitment to the latest health care advancements and excellent patient care.

CentralSterileProcessingis an ancillary department of the Operating rooms within a healthcare facility in which medical/surgical supplies and equipment, bothsterileand non-sterile, are decontaminated,processed, sterilized, stored and used for patient care. All this takes place behind the scenes in a sterile lab type setting.

SHIFT DETAILS

Shift: 2pm-10:30pm Mon-Fri /call on weekends at least once a month

Enjoy a flat rate $5/hr for call, $1/hour weekend shift differential and an 18%-night shift differential, when applicable.

Banner - University Medical Center Tucson is nationally recognized for providing exceptional patient care, teaching future health-care professionals and conducting groundbreaking research. Also located on the campus is Diamond Children's - recognized for its specialized pediatric services including neonatal and intensive care, emergency medicine and cancer therapies. Banner - University Medical Center Tucson is a Level 1 Trauma Center, meaning we care for the most critically injured patients. The hospital is consistently listed among the nation's top hospitals in the prestigious Best Hospitals ranking by U.S. News & World Report. The academic medical center has earned Magnet Recognition becoming the only hospital in southern Arizona to meet the rigorous standards of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® for nursing excellence. The hospital's physicians are full-time faculty of the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. Our specialty services include comprehensive heart and cancer care, advanced neuroscience techniques and a multi-organ transplant program.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position demonstrates accountability for operating room readiness ensuring sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable supplies are complete and ready for a procedure prior to the preceding patient leaving the operating room. Responsible for the proper care and handling of all general and specialty instrumentation including the cleaning, decontamination, disassemble/reassemble, quality assurance, instrument identification, set assembly, packaging, sterilization, and distribution of surgical instrumentation for PeriOp Services, hospital departments, and clinics.

CORE FUNCTIONS

• 1. Provides decontamination and sterile processing support to PeriOp Services, ED, ICU, hospital wide departments, clinics both on and off campus, and ambulatory surgery centers. Provides various levels of service for the management of sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable patient care supplies. Support may-or-may-not include, decontamination of surgical instruments, assembly/sterilization, sterile instrument storage, partial or complete case cart support, OR core tech support and high-level disinfection.
• 2. Responsible for the decontamination, assembly, and packaging of surgical instruments following established protocols, instructions for use (IFU) as well as performs required quality assurance, repairs, reassembly, documentation, sterility handling, and storage of specialized surgical instruments. Maintains required sterilization logs and quality assurance records relating to all equipment associated for the purpose of decontamination, HLD disinfection, and sterilization.
• 3. Ability to interpret the surgical schedule and medical terminology as it pertain[sic?) to scheduled procedures requiring sterile surgical instrumentation and disposable supplies needed. Able to address and communicate special needs to minimize delays to surgery. Responds to emergent calls from the Operating Room and performs preliminary investigation. Determines priority level of instrumentation requests and other hospital needs. Directs services in a competent and professional manner while assuring OR priorities are completed in a timely manner.
• 4. Able to differentiate surgical instrumentation that is surgery owned, consignment/loaner, hospital depart, surgeon, ambulatory surgery center, and clinics both on and off campus. Completes necessary tracking of surgical instruments with a paper log sheet or computer process for instrumentation leaving the area. Reports needed replacement of surgical instruments to maintain the inventory and support readiness of sets.
• 5. Utilizes specialized equipment for the decontamination, high-level disinfection, and sterilization of surgical instrumentation according to the device and equipment manufacturer’s recommendations and hospital policy. Operates steam and hydrogen peroxide sterilizers of various. Operates automated surgical instrument washers, ultrasonics, flush pumps, visualization devices, and cart washers to include high-level disinfectors where supported.
• 6. Operates various quality assurance testing equipment associated to flexible endoscopic scopes, transesophageal ultrasound probes, and electro-surgical insulation defect detector for laparoscopic and energy provided surgical instrumentation. Utilizes heat detection devices to allow steam sterilized surgical instrumentation to be released for use without risking burns to staff and patients. Operates demagnetizers of stainless-steel instruments for ophthalmic and delicate cardiac surgical instrumentation for safe use on patients. Utilizes various borescope devices to inspect inner channels of lumened surgical instrumentation and flexible scopes.
• 7. Maintains a clean and safe environment by adhering to Standard Precautions and Infection Control practices. Staff follow protocols for proper donning of personnel protective equipment (PPE) while completing the decontamination process referencing IFU’s supplied by the manufacturers.
• 8. Maintain flexibility to rotate shifts and adjust hours as needed, maintain a work record of regular attendance, timely arrivals, and departures, maintain professional appearance appropriate to position and function.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma/GED or equivalent working knowledge.
• Must have mechanical aptitude with the ability to break down moving parts, clean, lubricate and reassemble, problem solve incomplete trays and missing instrumentation and have effective organizational, communication and human relation skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Complete national certification as an SPD Technician within one year of hire.
• Additional related education and/or experience preferred.

EEO Statement

EEO/Disabled/Veterans

Our organization supports a drug-free work environment.

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