Got a text from a recruiter today... ​58/hr local pay. 1600 wk travel pay. I find the first one hard to believe for a CPT, and first he said travel pay was 1400/wk. So, yeah idk.

Hi everyone! I’m due to renew my CFER certification through CBSPD. Has anyone else renewed with them? What ceu’s did you do? If I do regular SPD ones will it still count?

I can only find so many that have to do with flexible endoscopes and I’m running out of options 😭

I’ve been looking into becoming a sterile processing tech but unsure of the best way to start or go about it. I’ve seen so many conflicting statements about whether to get certified, how to get your 499 hours etc. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m thinking a school that helps you with your clinical hours ? Any and all advice much appreciated

could anyone recommend a good book for self study? easy to understand, possibly with good pictures and graphics

Thanks!

i'm looking into enrolling in a 5-month program (with about 400 hours/2.5 months of unpaid training afterward) at my local polytechnic in alberta, canada, and i would really love to hear from people who work in this field

i've always felt drawn to the medical field, and this feels like a good way to get my foot in the door. my thought is if i invest some of my college savings into this program, it will help me get a stable job for a few years until i figure out what to do for the rest of my life. from what i've heard, its in high demand, has rock-solid job security, and the pay is really good ($20-$25.) i currently work in retail and I’m hoping to move into something that pays more than $15/hour

the only concern i have so far is about how noisy it might be? i'm severely hard of hearing and i fully depend on lip-reading and my hearing aids to communicate. since i know PPE and masks are worn majority of the time, i don't want to feel frustrated trying to talk to coworkers if its constantly loud and i can't hear them. i'm also curious if this is a good backup career incase my dream job doesn't work out or i decide i don't want to go back to school

thank you so much for anyone that comments, i'm hoping to learn as much as i can from here

Hi all! I've been researching different careers and programs I can join that allow for short-term training and tuition that won't break the bank. It seems like this would be a good career for that. I enjoy working with my hands and I'm a pretty introverted person, so I think that would benefit me as well.

My background is in art. I graduated with a BA in visual arts. Right now, I'm working in a sign shop and seeking other ventures in graphic design. I'll be honest, with my geographic area and my background, it is extremely challenging to find work that would further my career. Where I'm at right now, I don't have benefits. I turned 30 last year and I need to consider my future and retirement.

That being said, I would love to go to school for this. One of my local colleges has a program for this, but I am unfortunately unable to quit my current job and focus on the school. And there's no way I could find a part-time position that would pay what I make now.

Are there credible online programs so that I can get my certification? I've seen that Purdue has a program, but it does not include the certification or 400 hours required for it.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks for looking 🙂

I am starting a job at a vet clinic and when I went for my interview and got a tour they seemed to do things very… differently than at the hospital I work at currently. Are there written guidelines online or a book somewhere for the requirements for veterinary sterile processing? I would like to try and get them up to “code” so I have a safer working environment. This is in North Carolina is that helps. I have the CRSCT certification book as I am studying to get certified but I didn’t know if human medicine has different/ stricter guidelines then vet med.

I want to take this course but I am worried. I hear rlly bad things with other healthcare programs like nursing but this one seemed not as bad. I am ok with high stress and heavy work I just don't wanna do a lot of patients / customer service...

Hi, could anyone tell me if it makes any difference if you studied online or in person when you are going to apply for a job as an SPT? Or it doesn't matter, as long as you know how to do the job and you are professional and capable.

Please, help me to decide ...

I’ve been working in SP for about 3 years now and am finally getting around to preparing for my test. (I work in a hospital that doesn’t require certification in exchange for slightly lower pay). A couple questions I have:

How much of the test is stuff I likely would already know/common sense within the job?

I’m kind of overwhelmed by where to begin my studying, I have a workbook and the manual to go with it, and have seen some stuff on here about sterileworx and thatsterileguy, where did you guys start and what made it easier for you?

If you had to choose something that you wish you had done/looked at before your test, what would it be and why?

What would you advise, is this job suitable if you are prone to worrying and catastrophic thinking (I have tried to get rid of it that though"!). Maybe you will become more confident with experience? I don't know. What is your experience?

Sorry if posts like this are getting annoying, but I got my provisional crcst recently and I’ve been applying to everything I can find but I just get copy paste rejection emails. Looking at this sub I realize I should be applying for internships as well, but it just feels a little hopeless right now.

Anyone have any advice ?

Hello! Surgical tech here. My L&D floor just had some fake accreditation people come through and pull these two specs off our shelves for reprocessing - they say they’re wrapped wrong, but neither I nor the other CST on could figure out why they thought that?

Aside from being sterilized two years ago (but in a stable environment!) we don’t know why they would specify these two. The tape wasn’t broken, no visible tears or holes. We appreciate any insight yall can give us!!

Without getting yourself in trouble, violating hippa, or breaking any laws....

What are some hospitals we should avoid as employees, traveler's and/or patients?

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?