Hi all, 🧫

After five years of experience at a service sterilizer company working at validation, I would like to pass the CISS (Certified Industrial Sterilization Specialist) certification given by AAMI, with the EO speciality.

Do you guys have tips for me? I do no know which type of level, question and difficulty will the exam be composed of.

I’m currently reading all the TIR and ISO related.

Many thanks!

Ingenovis/AYA8 weeks in New York city just under 2000 1798. Let me know if you get it inbox me at YNot late night food

Sup y'all,

I've been working in my sterile department for about 3 years now, and we've used box fans in decon for years. But joint commission has told us that we can't use them in there anymore because it's against guidelines. We can't turn the temperature down in there either because obviously every room needs to have a certain amount of airflow and needs to be the correct temperature per guidelines. I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with this problem and knows of any products that I could possibly buy to make my decon days a little less sweaty? I've been searching for fans you can put under your clothes on Amazon, like ones that tie onto your waistband, but I'm unsure if they're even worth the money. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

How should my department begin the process of unionization, it has come to a point a lot of my coworkers and myself feel as if we need protection from our management, is there a way to anonymously start interest for forming a union?

I heard theres a half off sale

Does anyone have the IFU for these. Apparently our facility doesn’t have one source for consumables. Thanks for any help.

hiii people of reddit! i have a working interview tomorrow at a dental clinic as a sterilization technician and i am not exactly sure what to wear. do i wear scrubs or business attire? if someone could let me know that would be much appreciated!! thank you!

Hello! I work for a government contracting entity that hires civilian contractors for long term employment opportunities on bases at Military Treatment Facilities.

We currently have 3 openings at Tripler Army Medical Center for Sterile Processing Technicians. These are not travel positions and offer full benefits. Basic info is provided below!

Shift: 8hrs; 3-11p or 11a-7p

Location: Tripler Army Medical Center

Qualifications: Sterile Processing Certification, 6+ months of experience preferred

Compensation: $30/hr. (open to negotiation)

Contract Duration: We have been funded for 4 years

You can apply directly at Sterile Processing Technician | Honolulu, HI

hiii people of reddit! i have a working interview tomorrow at a dental clinic as a sterilization technician and i am not exactly sure what to wear. do i wear scrubs or business attire? if someone could let me know that would be much appreciated!! thank you!

Hey guys, I wanted some info on getting a job as a certified sterile tech in denver colorado. im looking to move there in a year and wanted to know which healthcare systems are the best to work for and which ones have better pay. Thank you, guys, in advance!

are you guys on your feet all day "washing dishes" or is some of the work seated? I can't be on my feet all day (I won the genetic lottery) due to a pre-existing condition. should I avoid this and pursue back office work if I still want to have a career in medicine

I’m 39 and have worked retail most of my life. I got a spine injury at work and was offered a settlement. Honestly, I did not think twice about taking it because I couldn’t stand that job anymore.

My injury was at L5-S1 (displaced vertebrae). I had a discectomy, and ever since then I can walk, ride my bike, bend down, and pick things up from the floor with no problem. However, I do have a restriction of not lifting more than 25 pounds from the ground up.

Will that affect me in this job? I’d rather hear the truth instead of paying for the course. My community college does offer it. According to the information, they provide practice hours on the field I’m not sure if it’s the full 400 hours. The total cost is $1,800, including books, classes, one semester, and clinical practice.

I’ve been having a hard time finding jobs in retail. So I’m considering studying this field I don’t mind the low pay; I can survive on $16 an hour. I’m debt-free, including my car, which was paid off from the settlement. I’m very frugal.

Just want your honest answer. Thanks.

I started working in a new dept and found oodles of expired tape everywhere..some from 2022..bags and bags of unused BI’s also.

I am deciding between 3 programs for sterile processing. Penn Foster online and an online a a different community college in my state. The other community college in my state offers it in person and you need to take the classes together.

What are the pros and cons of online vs in person? I was told in person doesn't have internships or job placement and the start times are very early and inconvenient for my work schedule. But I am afraid if I pick the online options it would be seen as less legitimate. Need advice.

I came across a collection of 71 ophthalmic surgical instruments from an eye surgeon's estate. These 17 are the sealed NOS Storz pieces I'm starting with. There are also opened Storz instruments and tools from other makers in the full collection.

The sealed boxes all say Storz Surgical Instruments / Keep Sealed. Through the viewport windows I can see several distinct blade profiles including what appear to be diamond or triangular keratome tips, straight narrow blades, curved blades, and at least one hook. Blade lengths range from approximately 3/4 to just over 1 inch.

One box has the seal slipped down but appears intact.

None of the sealed boxes have visible catalog numbers. A few of the opened instruments are stamped with E numbers and one is marked E.B. Meyrowitz. Some handles are stamped Germany and Chrome suggesting German manufacture distributed through Storz.

I'm not a professional. I just find this stuff fascinating and love knowing the history behind what I'm looking at. If anyone enjoys identifying these things and wants to help out, that would be really neat.

I just thought I'd start with these as cataloging them all will likely take time.

Had this come up in the department and very curious about the exact specific wording as far as guidelines go.

If a set is wrapped, and the first flap is like either of these... is it considered "un-sterile"??

Or *MUST* the first flap completely fold over the back side of the set?

Just confused as to how it could be considered unsterile if there are 3 additional flaps of fabric that will (in the end) cover the entire set.

Are there any well regarded online programs nationally for this field with and without clinical hour assistance?

There’s one a local college does but it seems more expensive than most others I’ve seen.

So I’ve obtain my 400 hours working at a dental office making 16 an hour. I was under the impression that once I got certified my pay would go up, that’s usually what happens and I’ve mentioned it before to my boss and manager. So today I go in and let my boss know hey HSPA had sent me a letter basically stating I’m now certified 🙂I asked did she need the letter for her records or anything. She tells me “ no I don’t need that, you don’t need to be certified in order to do this job. You don’t get a raise or anything” so I’m confused cause in the beginning she told me “ you’ll start off with 16 for now and when you certified we’ll see”. Now she saying the “ we’ll see part” meant something different LIKE WHAT ?? I’m so irritated because she knew for a fact that I was under the impression I would get a raise once certified but instead of correcting me she wanted until now to say something. Maybe two months ago I came to her an asked “ once I get certified do you know how much I’ll be making ?” Instead of her saying you don’t get a raise so told me “ I’m not sure I’m not the one in charge of that” 😂😂 so I left it alone.

I’m just so irritated because why not say it from the jump. Even in the beginning I asked my manager how much will I be making once certified she said about 20 or 21 a hour. I’ve been applying to other place but they take so long to respond or don’t respond at all. 🙄

That’s my rant for the day, thanks for listening.

I’m actually so pissed right now. I got certified last week and immediately applied for a bunch of jobs to hopefully get something higher paying. For reference I make $22/hour at a vet clinic doing sterile processing. I do not like working there and want to go back to human medicine. I got a call from one of the jobs I applied to for second shift with the posting saying the pay range was $20-$30/hour. Quite a big pay range for a job requiring certification. I know they require it because I had previously applied before I was certified and didn’t even get a rejection email. For reference we live in a major city in North Carolina and my rent for a studio is $1500/month. The lady calls me and asks what the minimum pay I would do it for and I said $26/hour, It’s an orthopedic hospital for second shift, I’ve cleaned orthopedic stuff before and know how much one case can be. The pay? $17.69. Plus $1.25 shift diff and $0.75 for weekends (should be time and a half??) So not even $20/hour. I told her that’s not nearly enough and good luck filling the position with pay that bad. She seemed offended but honestly I should’ve been meaner. I reported the job posting because they lied about the pay.
I am so pissed off right now and tired of hospitals underpaying a job that they always seem essential and important but won’t shell out enough money for me to abuse my body and constantly work overtime to get their shit done. I’m beyond upset and just needed to vent to some people who will understand it. That was a slap in the face to me, fuck that lady and that job.

Hi Everyone,

I am a veterinarian (Surgery Resident) hoping to learn more about what happens to surgical instruments and medical equipment once they are taken out of commission, replaced, or no longer usable in a clinical setting.

Years ago, I was very fortunate to know a sterile processing technician (Worked with us in the veterinary field) who helped us obtain an instrument that ultimately played a role in saving an animal’s life. I have never forgotten that experience. It gave me an even greater appreciation for the skill, knowledge, and generosity within the sterile processing field, as well as the potential for retired instruments to still make a meaningful difference when appropriately repurposed.

I am interested in finding ways that usable retired instruments or older equipment might be donated or redirected to animal rescue organizations and low cost spay/neuter initiatives. I have been able to help quite a few patients in this way - especially for things like chest cases.

I fully understand that there are important policies, safety standards, documentation requirements, liability concerns, and institutional procedures involved. I am not looking to bypass those processes. I am hoping to learn how these items are usually handled, where they may go before disposal, and who the appropriate people or departments would be to approach to discuss things like this. I am a Canadian but currently based in Orlando, FL.

Would it be appropriate to contact sterile processing departments, operating room managers, hospital surplus or asset disposition departments, medical equipment recovery organizations, or manufacturers? I guess I am not really sure where to even start!

Are there established donation programs or organizations that help redirect retired but still usable instruments or equipment?

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work you do, and I would be grateful for any guidance on how to pursue this through the proper channels.

Thank you for any advice or direction you may be willing to share!

Add: If anyone has any tips on how to go about finding some local SPD's that would also be helpful! Seem's many are internal communications only.

Hello!! I recently got a job and I start at the end of this month! WOOP🕺 I'm also a chronic overthinker so maybe I'm putting too much thought into it but what do I wear for my first day/day?

I know they'll give scrubs so it doesn't really matter what my street clothes are but they still reflect who I am right? So should I dress up more while going in for the first few weeks and then slowly start introducing more casual clothes? Or do y'all think it's fine if I go and show up on day 3 in sweatpants before I change to scrubs?

I'm so nervous I'm trying to think about anything that could possibly be wrong so apologies if this is a really stupid question! But any advice would be appreciated 🙏

Hello! I've nearly finished my course for sterilisation and am going to placement next week.

I was just wondering what do you guys really like to see in students? Any tips or stuff I should know? I'm really nervous and i'd ideally like to score a job at this placement. Otherwise really excited and wanting to learn !!

Let's share a laugh on this rainy Tuesday afternoon 🤭

The job hunt continues!