Sterile Processing Technician (Per Diem)

St. Luke’s University Health Network; Orwigsburg (Schuylkill County); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Luke's University Health Network is seeking a Sterile Processing Technician to join our patient-centered team. You will decontaminate, sterilize and assemble instrument sets, ensuring safety and quality for every procedure across multiple departments.

High school diploma or equivalent is required; SPD certification must be achieved within 18 months of hire. On-the-job orientation lasts about eight weeks, with comprehensive hands-on training and ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• SPD certification required within 18 months of hire.
• On-the-job training minimum 8 weeks.

Responsibilities

• Retrieves, sorts and decontaminates used materials, instruments and equipment from various departments.
• Performs quality checks for cleanliness, sharpness and proper functioning of instruments.
• Performs high level disinfection (HLD) on items that cannot be sterilized.
• Assembles and wraps items for sterilization and prepares case carts for the Operating Room.

Skills

Sterile processing

Instrument sterilization

Decontamination

Quality checks

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

SPD certification within 18 months of hire

Job description

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset! Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care.

Will need to be included in weekend/holiday on-call rotation

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Retrieves, sorts and decontaminates used materials, instruments, medical devices and equipment from the nursing units, Operating Room, Emergency Department, Delivery Rooms, Nurseries, Outpatient Departments, etc., according to established procedures. Performs quality checks for cleanliness, sharpness and proper functioning of instruments. Performs high level disinfection (HLD) on items that cannot be sterilized. Assembles and wraps items in correct type of packaging material in preparation for sterilization. Sterilizes wrapped and packaged items by steam or ETO. Prepares case carts for the Operating Room.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS

Standing for up to 4 hours per day, up to 2 hours at a time. Walking for up to 4 hours per day, up to 2 hours at a time. Sitting for up to 2 hours per day, 1 hour at a time. Frequently uses fingers and hands for data entry, assembling instrument trays, picking items for case carts and packaging items. Frequently uses upper extremities to lift up to 50 pounds. Hearing ability sufficient to hear above noise level of operating equipment (sterilizers). Must be able to hear alarms and telephone. Seeing as it relates to general vision, near vision, peripheral vision (must be able to detect defects in instruments, such as nicks, burrs, etc.). Frequently pushing and pulling carts weighing up to 200 pounds.

EDUCATION

High School diploma or equivalent required. SPD certification is required within 18 months of hire.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

On-the-job training with 8 weeks minimum concentrated orientation period.

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 23,000 employees providing services at 16 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue in excess of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke's hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke's Children's Hospital. SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Premier 13 times total and eleven years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke's was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. St. Luke's is the ONLY health care institution in the Lehigh Valley to be named a Top Workplace regionally repeating the exclusive honor for the third year in a row. Also, for the third straight year, St. Luke's has been a Top Workplaces in the Philadelphia Region by the Philadelphia Inquirer, ranking 9th in the large employer category for 2025 and the only health care system in PA to receive this award. In 2025, St. Luke's was recognized as a national Top Workplaces by USA Today, three years in a row, including the 3rd best health care system in the nation in 2023 and 2024. Lastly, in 2025, St. Luke's was named a Top Workplace in New Jersey for the third year in a row. Learn More Here.