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Medical Equipment Preparers

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

What you’d do

  • Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.
  • Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.
  • Record sterilizer test results.
  • Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.
  • Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.
  • Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.
  • Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers.
  • Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems.

Skills that matter

  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Active Listening
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech)
  • CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician)
  • CSS Technician (Central Sterile Supply Technician)
  • CST (Central Service Technician)
  • Central Supply Processing Department Technician (CSPDT)
  • Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST)

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