Sterile Processing Technician I-SDS Central Sterile Processing

Eisenhower Medical Center; Rancho Mirage (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Eisenhower Medical Center is seeking a dedicated Central Sterile Processing Technician to support the hospital, surgical and clinic instrument workflow. You will decontaminate, clean, inspect, assemble, sterilize and transport instrument sets to ensure patient care remains safe and uninterrupted.

The role requires attention to detail, strong problem solving and effective communication in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Preferred: Experience in Sterile Processing, Central Services or Healthcare.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and handle moving/transport of instrument sets.

Responsibilities

• Provide system-wide support for hospital instrument decontamination, cleaning and sterilization.
• Assemble and prep instrument sets for surgery and clinics.
• Operate and troubleshoot sterilizing/cleaning equipment; run cycles and verify results.
• Use barcode systems to track instruments and ensure complete, sterile sets.
• Restock and distribute instruments to ORs and departments as needed.
• Identify single-use vs multiple-use items and manage proper disposal.

Skills

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Communication

Time management

Teamwork

Safety consciousness

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Sterilization equipment

Barcode tracking

Job description

Located in the heart of the Coachella Valley, you have access to resort-style living and world-class amenities throughout Southern California.

Required

High school diploma, GED or higher level degree if hired after July 1, 2023

Licensure/Certification

Experience

Preferred: Experience in Sterile Processing, Central Services or Healthcare

Job Objective

Provides system wide support for the hospital, surgical and clinic instruments, intubation boxes and crash carts. Work directly impacts patient care by preventing infections through proper decontamination, cleaning, inspecting, assembling, sterilization, handling and transportation of surgical and procedural instrumentation.

• Demonstrates compliance with Code of Conduct and compliance policies, and takes action to resolve compliance questions or concerns and report suspected violations.
• Uses manufacturer “Information for Use” (IFU) guidelines for cleaning, including solution selection and dilution rates for specific instruments, disassemble, reassemble, sterilization or high-level disinfecting and storage/packaging with appropriate devices to protect intricate and delicate instruments and ensure that surgical instrument sets are complete and operational for successfully reuse.
• Identifies, selects and separates instrumentation needing manual decontamination from those that are safe for machine decontamination.
• Combines instruments into sets and selects appropriate sterilization or high-level disinfection process.
• Operates and trouble shoots sterilizing/cleaning/disinfecting machines, performs biologic sterilization tests, confirms 100% sterilization compliance on every instrument/set processed, utilizes computerized instrument tracking (bar-code) systems, transports sets to storage locations and distributes to the end users.
• Functions to properly disassemble, inspect and reassemble all instruments with knowledge of instrument details.
• Initiates, runs cleaning cycles, investigates errors and maintain technically advanced decontamination equipment.
• Inspects instrumentation for contaminates and ensures instruments and equipment are in good working order prior to assembly.
• Identifies “single use” vs “multiple use” instruments and discards those single use instruments.
• Identifies, selects, and performs proper usage of sterilization wraps, containers and peal-pouch packaging all with selecting the appropriate sterility quality control indicators.
• Selects, performs and interprets diagnostic tests and biological tests on multiple models and types of sterilization machines.
• Collects instruments/sets and develops “surgical case carts” for each individual surgical case performed in the operating rooms. Identifies and selects non-instrument medical supplies for surgical cases utilizing surgeon preference cards.
• Processes all opened or used Emergency Crash Carts (adult carts and pediatric carts) and replaces any used items, checks for outdated supplies, restocks and reseals Crash Carts.
• Processes used Emergency Intubation Boxes and replaces any used items, checks for outdated supplies, restocks and reseals Emergency Intubation boxes and redistributes to the sites of care throughout the hospital and clinics.
• Supports and assists the Supply Coordinator to maintain defined par levels of supplies utilized in Central Sterile Processing.
• Contributes to maximum efficiency and priorities established by the daily OR surgery schedules.
• Supports initiatives on process improvements, quality improvement, cost reduction and sustainability initiatives.
• Maintains knowledge of risks and daily use and application of PPE with exposure to large amounts of contaminated and sharp instruments with known and unknown biohazard risk.
• Follows manufacturer’s recommendations on dilution of all chemicals used throughout the department.
• Prioritizes the need for instruments, equipment and supplies based on the scheduled surgical cases, surgeries in process and add-on surgical cases.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Ability to effectively communicate in a positive and professional manner
• Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations in a calm and professional manner
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage time efficiently to meet deadlines
• Ability to routinely lift up to 25 pounds with instrument set processing, storage and distribution
• Problem solving skills to identify issues and formulate effective solutions
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and unexpected situations
• Ability to be assertive and consistent in following policies

Eisenhower Health offers a generous benefits package and a matched retirement plan.

Employees are eligible to participate in a benefits program designed to make a difference for you and your family.

From the beginning, this organization formed a culture based on strong values, commitments and a passion for service and professional excellence.

What Our Nurses Say

One of my very favorite things about working at Eisenhower Health is the culture on inclusivity that we have and a strong base for evidence-based practice.

Lori

One of the greatest things about working as a nurse at Eisenhower Health is how much support you get from Administration. We keep on improving the process here. It's a fantastic place to work.

My favorite thing about working at Eisenhower Health is the camaraderie within my unit and with the different departments.