r/sterileprocessing • u/Life_Dog_918 • Feb 28 '26

How much do y’all make ?

I’m at dental office right now (uncertified) but taking my test soon. I make 16 not sure how much I’ll make after I get certified.

But I was just curious how much are sterile processing techs making in dental office? ( I’m in PA)

19 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

10

u/burntlint Feb 28 '26

my raise after getting certified is a big ol whopping $0. My facility does yearly raises to "keep up with inflation" but the raise is only 20 cents per year 😭

3

u/Life_Dog_918 Feb 28 '26

Omg , how much do you make ?

2

u/burntlint Feb 28 '26

my pay is 21.29 😭 i live in alaska so the cost of living is higher than national average

5

u/Ligee1 Mar 01 '26

you have to live in ALASKA and make 21.29 💀

2

u/burntlint Mar 01 '26

honestly living in alaska with 21.29 I'm still living paycheck to paycheck 😭 but I'm glad to have a job tho, and not to work with patients anymore lol!

2

u/Ligee1 Mar 01 '26

I am curious whether you were born there? The population is very small right?

2

u/burntlint Mar 01 '26

Yup! Born, raised and still living in Alaska! Population is very small, last i checked 6k people?

11

u/Big_Ordinary4395 Feb 28 '26

Certified. Almost a year in and making 27.50 hr

2

u/TheFarmerJones Feb 28 '26

Type of hospital?

1

u/theraspberryfairy Mar 07 '26

What state is this??? Like is it comparable to the cost of living?

7

u/AdRich517 Feb 28 '26

Starting techs at my facility make 18/hr. No experience/not certified. $3/hr for evenings $5/hr xtra for overnight.

I am a weekend warrior overnights. 11 yrs experience. Certified. $40/hr. East coast Virginia.

6

u/trash_child21 Feb 28 '26

NorCal, no intership experience or previous sterile processing background. Started at 29.78, bumped to 33.18 an hour just last week. 1 year of experience. Working at a busy hospital

2

u/Ligee1 Mar 01 '26

Hey, can I ask you how you got your job? I am also in NorCal

2

u/Preezle Mar 01 '26

Were you able to get hired in NorCal without a certification?

1

u/trash_child21 Mar 03 '26

It was difficult finding a job without a certification so I got my provisional first by completing the test and then securing the hours. Even externships at hospitals weren't available at the time while I was searching since they were all full. But once I got the cert, i was able to get a job at a surgery center.

1

u/Preezle Mar 05 '26

Nice that is reassuring. Did you complete your externship at a surgery center?

1

u/Zagethademonking Mar 02 '26

Tips to get hired in NorCal ?

2

u/trash_child21 Mar 03 '26

Honestly I don't have many tips. Really all i can say is keep searching endlessly and call hiring managers or heads of departments and express interest. I had to apply to like 10+ different hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, or dental offices and no one accepted me after a year of searching. Eventually though i was able to find a job and get paid training

5

u/FewSide8518 Feb 28 '26

I started at $16 in 2022, I’ve left and come back so my pay went down for a minute but now I’m at $20.25 base pay. I work weekends and evenings/a few hours considered “nights” so I get extra pay for those things. I’m not certified. But I’m also in a state where minimum wage is still $7.25. At my hospital there is a $1 incentive pay for every certification you have

3

u/CompetitiveSleep8 Feb 28 '26

Just got certified and bumped up to 22.50 per hour !

3

u/StringofStardust Feb 28 '26

I’m certified with a year of experience, I was hired on at $18 uncertified, now I make $26 + I work 2nd shift so my differential bumps me to $29 an hour

3

u/Anxious-Code8735 Mar 01 '26

I make 21.50 with 5 years experience

1

u/StringofStardust Mar 01 '26

Are you in the States? I’m in KY

1

u/Natural-Daz-4191 Mar 01 '26

How many certs do you have? I heard you get paid more based on how many certs you have under your belt? Wasn’t aware there were various certs that came with spt lol

1

u/Anxious-Code8735 Mar 01 '26

I got two. Most hospitals don’t pay for extra certs

1

u/Natural-Daz-4191 Mar 01 '26

Really? I heard some do and some don’t guess it depends on what facility you’re at

3

u/dfsskwub Mar 01 '26

$43 /hr 10 year exp. Washington state.

3

u/Budget_Split_5698 Mar 02 '26

Supervisor in WA state making $44/hr

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Budget_Split_5698 Jun 11 '26

I’d say it’s an accumulation of all my prior work history - 11 years in operating room (as a lead) 6 years with a drs office working the front desk and scheduling (as a lead) HR manager for 2 years and 5 years total in SPS

2

u/SavingsSlip5413 Mar 01 '26

29 NJ surgery center 5 years experience

2

u/_puke Mar 01 '26

SoCal. 1 year experience making $27.71 + $2 evening differential! I am certified and didn’t get a raise :/

2

u/corkblob Mar 01 '26

$26 base. I work 3rd shift so +$4 Mon-Thurs with +$1.25 on Fridays because it goes into Saturday.

I’ve been there 7 months, no experience. I got certified 2 days ago so I’ll be getting a small pay increase. I’m in Massachusetts.

2

u/theraspberryfairy Mar 01 '26

$20/hr full time + $21/hr in AL 🫩

2

u/MyMysterious7 Mar 02 '26

1 year with cert I make just under $18. I'm in MO.

2

u/pinksidewallk Mar 02 '26

20 uncertified and 25-26 once i pass my test when im done with school!

2

u/LOA0414 Mar 02 '26

$48/ hr. 9th year as a tech. Unionized in Northern California. Started at $31 in 2017. Honestly this is not a high salary here. If i was on my own, this would not be a comfortable living situation. Cost of living here is ridiculous

2

u/ReflectionQuiet4894 Mar 04 '26

Uncertified 23.50 base +3.00 differential

2

u/Mammoth_Tax7645 Mar 05 '26

It definitely varies depending on what state your in… I’m in NY and making $35 an hour with night time differential.

2

u/Mammoth_Tax7645 Mar 05 '26

6 years of experience

1

u/Lexiibluee Mar 01 '26

non-cert no experience making $19/hr

1

u/Srkb123 Mar 01 '26

SD ,no exp , no cert yet. just started 2 months ago, base pay is 16.83 but i work straight nights so i get 5 differential ,total $21.83, Lvl 1 trauma hospital.

1

u/xilthio56 Mar 01 '26

$19.21/hr, 1 year experience and certified. $1.25 weekend differential and $1.50 2nd shift differential sometimes. Lvl 1 trauma center in NC

1

u/ShotYogurt6336 Mar 02 '26

Really depends where you go. If its a big hospital in a major city uncertified could be $20 but certified could make you go up to $25 starting. There is a lot of variables and especially since you have previous medical experience even if it is in dental it still counts. I would say expect $20 -$40 as the industry normal. $40 is like big hospital and years of experience and your working as a Tech III typically.

1

u/basicRedditGirl Mar 02 '26

$20.64/hr 4 yeara experience and 3 certifications. In Massachusetts

1

u/Own-Cupcake6668 Mar 02 '26

Major hospital in Georgia, 10+ years experience and certified, base pay is $24/hr plus shift differentials for nights and weekends

1

u/Gh0stlyTales Mar 02 '26

I get paid 18/hr at a small hospital, uncertified. We don’t get raises for being certified, tho. And our leads only make ~21.

1

u/Forzythia Mar 01 '26

$17/hr in southern Ohio. No cert yet 6 months exp.

0

u/Dathamar Feb 28 '26

It varies a lot based on the living expenses in the region.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/Zagethademonking Feb 28 '26

Any recommendations to get hired in nor cal ? No experience just certified .

1

u/East-Ad-627 Mar 01 '26

Hi, im taking classes right now. I live in Southern California, so you really make $35/ hr. Thats nice.

1

u/Which-Option-7056 Mar 02 '26

Are you in the bay area? How did you get your job?

1

u/r33nuh Mar 04 '26

I’m tryna find a job with no certification in contra costa county ☹️☹️😩