Central Sterilization Technician

Mercy Medical Center, a Dignity Health member, has been building a rich history of care in our community for more than 100 years. We have grown from a small one-story wooden structure into a major healthcare provider with a new 186-bed main campus, offering the latest in facility design and technology. Mercy also operates Outpatient Centers, a Cancer Center and several rural clinics.

Wherever you work throughout our system, you will find faces of experience with dedication to high quality, personalized care. Joining our 1,300 employees, 230 physicians and many volunteers, you can help carry out our commitment to providing our community with the excellence they have come to associate with Mercy Medical Center.

One Community. One Mission. One California 

As our Central Sterilization Technician, you will be fundamental in preventing infections and ensuring patient safety by meticulously sterilizing surgical instruments and medical equipment, directly supporting surgical and procedural areas within our facility.

Every day you will meticulously clean, decontaminate, inspect, assemble, package, and sterilize surgical instruments and medical devices. You will be expected to operate and monitor sterilizers, maintain accurate documentation of sterilization processes, and ensure timely and accurate delivery of sterile supplies to patient care areas, all while adhering to the highest standards of infection control.

To be successful in this role, you must possess an unwavering attention to detail, a strong understanding of sterilization principles and infection prevention, and the ability to work diligently in a fast-paced, critical healthcare environment.

• Properly transports contaminated and sterile instruments to and from clinics and other patient care areas safely. Decontaminates a full range of reusable medical supplies and equipment used within the medical center. Safely handles and decontaminates instruments, trays and equipment used in patient care by sorting, disassembling washing and rinsing to physically remove, inactivate, or destroy blood borne pathogens and gross contamination on surface of items in accordance with department procedures and infection control parameters. Operate various kinds of equipment such as ultrasonic cleaners and washers. Ensures that items are properly assembled and operational before reprocessing, packing and sterilization. Correctly packs items into the sterilizer trolleys in accordance with regulatory requirements, documents, logs and tags each item for control purposes.
• Prepares the full range of trays and sets used in surgical services and in selected areas of the hospital & clinics of the medical center. Inspects items prior to assembling trays to be sure that surfaces are clean and that instruments function properly. Sorts the instruments by type, and reassembles trays and sets based on menu and recognition of items and/or inventory needs. Assures that all instrumentation are processed in the open position and or in disassembled states as identified by manufacturer instructions. Uses care in packing to protect points, cutting edges and delicate instruments which insure effective penetration of sterilizing medium.
• Sterilizes instruments, linen packs and surgical trays using the steam autoclaves, hydrogen peroxide gas (V-Pro & Sterrad NX), Operates the Steam, Steris and Sterilizers in accordance with regulatory requirements and department procedures. Maintains sterilization operation logs and follows all procedures for accurate documentation and sterility assurance. Monitors and documents Steam, Steris and sterility assurance by using chemical and Biological indicators, Bowie Dick Test, diagnostic testing and monitoring sterilizer performance digital displays and mechanical readouts. Reports failures of tests to manager for further action.
• On a daily basis or as assigned, orders stock supplies from the MMC Central Stores according to department inventory levels. Uses the computer system to place order. Removes broken or malfunctioning instruments or equipment from use notifying the OR Inventory Control personnel.
• When assigned assists with operating room turnover to include patient transport, equipment return, instrument transport to decontamination, garbage and linen removal and room and equipment cleaning and/or room termination.
• Ensures optimum operation of the department through good attendance history and flexibility with assigned shift. Is on time for scheduled shift. Covers call shifts as assigned. Returns from lunches and breaks on time.

Required

• High School Graduate General Studies, upon hire or
• High School GED General Studies, upon hire and
• Must possess prior Sterile Processing experience in an operating room (OR), Acute Care hospital setting, or Central Servicesdepartment. This experience should demonstrate a solid foundation of job-related knowledge, skills, and abilitiesnecessary for success in this role, upon hire
• Cert Sterile Processing Dist Tech, (CSPDT - CBSPD) upon hire or
• Certified Sterile Processing and Dist Supervisor (CSPDS), upon hire or
• Certified Sterile Processing and Dist Tech (CSPDT), upon hire
• Must take call shifts as assigned
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Preferred

• Two years of recent experience with steam and chemical sterilization processes in a hospital setting , upon hire

Please be advised that this location requires quarterly American Heart Association (AHA) Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) competency certification post-hire. 

This ongoing competency is required through resources internal to the facility; outside RQI competency resources are not acceptable for CommonSpirit Health compliance requirements.