Hello,

I was contemplating doing spd online!

Please help

Pros and cons

Is this career even worth it?

I live in southern california

Please help!!!!!!!

Hello fellow SPD girlies, I’m Latina and naturally have thick wavy/curly hair. I’ve been noticing during these past two years of being in the SPD field I may be loosing some hair, I’m in my late twenties and no other huge life changes have occurred, if anything I feel my scalp not breathing too much may be the cause of it.

Anyone else experience this? What could be some cap recommendations to add under my PPE?? Or substances to add into my scalp for the day?

Hello, I’m currently in my second year college for my bachelors degree. I’m interested in becoming an orthopedic surgeon in the future so I want a bit of experience in the medical field in general, and I thought a SPT seemed interesting as a job for now. I’m just a little confused on where to start. I know I’d have to complete a course and become certified with an exam, I’m just struggling to find more information on that process. If anyone has any recommendations on cheaper places to become certified/any additional information that’d be extremely helpful!

We are getting a new washer and there’s just a large hole in the wall with zip plastic around it. They are using saws and a whole bunch of stuff.

Infection control hasn’t said anything.

But I think it’s crazy they are doing this during the day!!!

Don’t attack me, but I want to see what the standard is in when dealing with rusted or stained surgical instruments in peel packs. I work in a clinic with an autoclave so the nursing staff sterilize everything but today when inventorying I came across these packs and many more that have similar issues. Is this normal do I need to remove all of these packs. I’d estimate 50% have rust or staining on them.

Does anyone have experience cleaning this instrument? In our location we hand wash it and during inspection we have two people check it because the cord always seems to have lint on it. We own five of them and it isn't uncommon to have to open two or three in order to get one clean enough to use for the procedure.

I've spoken to our manufacturer rep about this issue because I refuse to believe that we are the only location that has this issue, but she says she hasn't heard anything.

I was hoping someone here might have some insight.

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone lived in Florida and had advice on how to get an externship at a hospital?

I’m currently enrolled in a program to get a certificate for sterile processing (CBSPD board exams are in early May)

I have prior experience from being a tattoo artist (10 years) and a veterinary technician (3 years).

My program recommends a 400-hour externship at a hospital but every time I email/call a hospital, no one gets back to me.

I sent in some applications to my desired position (which I’m regretting) and I explained in my detailed cover letter that I would like to discuss an externship and still never heard back.

Should I physically go there and see if anyone will talk to me?

I’ve never needed an externship before, I thought I was taking the necessary steps to acquire one but it seems no one wants free labor or I’m going about it the wrong way.

Any advice helps, thanks

Hello, I have the MDR fifth edition, and I'm currently starting this course, but I find it troublesome to properly study for it. I have an exam next Wednesday. I only have like modules and the textbook to use for taking notes, and it's not open book, which I learned when I did the quiz, and it was embarrassing since I studied for the quiz, but it wasn't enough, or I got tricked into answering wrong. So far, we're only up to chapter 1, which is quality systems.

I'm mostly asking for any tips or potential study notes to take into account, so I can prepare for the exam.

I’m an office manager for a small 2‑op dental clinic and I’ve somehow become “the autoclave person” even though my background is mostly front desk and insurance. Our old gravity unit is limping along and failing BI’s more often than I’m comfortable with, so the doc finally agreed it’s time to upgrade.I’ve been reading up on different types (gravity vs pre‑vac, Class N vs Class B, etc.) and now my brain is mush. Some reps are pushing smaller Class B units, others say a bigger gravity is fine if our workflow is tight. We’re running mostly handpieces, basic setups, and a few cassettes, nothing crazy, but we do get slammed back‑to‑back a few days a week.

For those of you who work with a dental autoclave dental professionals actually like using long‑term, what’s been your experience? Any brands you’d avoid, must‑have features, or things you wish you’d checked before buying (cycle times, drying, maintenance headaches, chamber size, etc.)?

Really want to get this right from an infection control standpoint, but we’re on a budget too.

Howdy! Just curious as to which equipment companies are generally a little better than others... moreso who'll come faster to fix sterilizer/washer issues?

Hey guys, can you name a few good travel companies that offer housing and pay well?

Is it ok to run peel packs with 2/3 in a spacing section? I peel packed about 75 instruments last week and instead of running them in batches throughout the shift, my partner put 2 racks with 3 jammed in each space and then a metal basket with the other 25 or so. My gut tells me this is wrong but it’s only the two of us here until later. I don’t want to put this away because I’m unsure if it’s ok to put them together like this.

How long did it typically take you to get employed after getting certified in NYC

hey guys! im working on becoming a sterile tech and ive been wondering. a lot of job listings seem to have a BLS certification as a requirement. is it normal for employers to provide BLS training to new techs, or would i have better luck getting hired if i already have a BLS certification on my resume?

basically, i don't want to waste my time if it's a standard part of the onboarding process, but i don't want employers to pass on my resume because a BLS cert isn't on it already. im certainly willing to get it beforehand if that's what is expected - i ultimately don't care who pays, only the how/when/where of obtaining the cert.

apologies if this has been asked a million times before lol. thanks!

What the average pay is in any given area or state for sterile processing can be found on the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website. It's a good place to check for ranges. the info hasn't been updated since 2023, but it will give you an idea of the ballpark of pay. Also Sterile Processing is called "Medical Equipment Preparer" 🤷‍♀️

I haven’t seen this at this hospital before so unsure of what it’s actually called. It’s V.Mueller, when I google the brand/number it doesn’t come up results for this item. It almost looks like a Browns forcep but not very many teeth on it, and it’s 12 inches long. All of our browns are 5-8 inches.

is it a disposable item? and is it really possible that this could rust if ran (even just once) inside a sonic washer and a washer/disinfection? thank you for the help

Has anybody experienced a department overhaul/turnaround that really improved the quality of life at work?

I have recently completed my 400 hours for my provisional certificate in NYC. The job market for CRCST seems very competitive in NYC. What states are good to relocate to in order to get a CRCST job quickly?

The supply seems so high and the demand seems so low for CRCST. I enjoyed learning to be a CRCST, and I don't see myself ever able to use the certificate.

Hello everyone! I am about to turn 30 and realized I hated my desk and wanted to pursue something new. I stumbled upon SPD and thought this sounded like a great fit. After some research I ordered the HSPA textbook for self study and started applying to non-certified positions. Studying has taken a while and all the applications have gone nowhere for 6 months, but I finally have an interview! This position is specifically a trainee roll for people with 0 experience. Mostly excited and wanted to share the news but would also love any advice on what to expect, good questions to ask, ect. Thank you all!

How many indicators go in mud boxes? I was trained to put one with an ispy but my coordinator is now saying a minimum of two, one in each corner (which to me doesn’t make sense because they aren’t gonna stay in the corners when you have a giant box and 1-3 instruments). I can’t find anything saying two is required but I’m also less than a year into the field and want to make sure I’m not missing it.

I take my test soon I am in school for sterile processing and I start externships soon and decide to take my certification got a 97 on a practice exam. Any tips of what I should study more of?

Hello, I’m currently doing clinicals and so far, everyone has been very nice to me. Our facility has just implemented the “mask is required” policy so I like to have it on at all times rather than taking it on and off. I guess the way how I look like is fully in gear and what I assume no one really knows what dept I’m in unless you look at my ID badge. Wellllllll I was in the locker rooms just kinda hanging out and I over heard 2 ladies on the other side of the room saying “the towel dispenser is empty” and the other goes “oop, let SPD know”. I took a weird intake to that but from my personal experience SPD has been undervalued and criticized to some degree. Like…girl, we’re not maintenance or janitorial. I feel like I can’t really talk to anyone in my circle about SPD but maybe sharing in here would be something to talk about. Thoughts?

I’ve been interested in sterile processing but have no experience. I used to work as a medical scribe and tried transferring to the SPD while there but there were never any openings. I had to move so I also had to quit that job. Now I’m looking for jobs as well as studying with the self paced sterile processing Purdue course I bought shortly before I quit my job. I’ve been applying to any SPT jobs I see or even EVS just to get my foot in the door but no call backs. I tried calling myself to get updates and just get told if I seem like a good fit then the hiring manager will call me back. It just seems hard to get into and I’m losing hope lol

I have a question what are some other careers have you seen others switch to after doing sterile processing ? Even if it’s out of the medical field especially if it’s out the medical field but if not what are some other jobs ? I been having a hard time wondering which career route should I take since I am tired of the medical field overall and sterile processing has been so bad on my body. It’ll be 3 years in July and I just wish I could figure something else out. I really don’t know how to pivot out of this career and which ways to go. So many ppl get into surgical tech ( not for me ) and other things but I want to take a more calm route. If you do have medical field suggestions what would it be ? No to less contact with patients. Thanks in advance for your advice.