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Sterile Processing Technician

A program that prepares individuals to clean, sterilize, and assemble surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies for use in operating rooms and other medical and surgical facilities. Includes instruction in sterilization; infection control; decontamination; and surgical instrumentation processing, distribution, and record-keeping.

Types of Degrees Sterile Processing Technician Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Sterile Processing Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	901
Master’s Degree	797

What Sterile Processing Technician Majors Need to Know

Studies in Sterile Processing Technician build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Sterile Processing Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Sterile Processing Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Sterile Processing Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Sterile Processing Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Sterile Processing Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Sterile Processing Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Internet browser software	Internet browser software	—
Nursing documentation software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Sterile Processing Technician graduates include:

• Surgery Technician (Surgery Tech)
• Surgical Technician
• Certified Surgical Technician
• Operating Room Technologist (OR Tech)
• Scrub Technician
• Operating Room Technician (OR Tech)
• Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St)
• Surgical Scrub Technician
• Surgical Technologist (Surgical Tech)
• Surgical Scrub Technologist (Surgical Scrub Tech)
• Travel Surgical Tech (Travel Surgical Technician)
• Cardiovascular Operating Room Technologist (CVOR Technologist)
• Travel Surgical Technologist
• Surgical Orderly
• Certified Surgical Technologist (CST)

What Can You Do With a Sterile Processing Technician Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Sterile Processing Technician commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Sterile Processing Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	22.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	20.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.0%
Some college courses	11.8%
Master’s degree	11.1%
Bachelor’s degree	7.4%
Doctoral degree	7.4%
Post-doctoral training	5.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Sterile Processing Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.4% of Sterile Processing Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,560	79.4%
Men	404	20.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Sterile Processing Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	373	19.0%
Asian	100	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	561	28.6%
Black or African American	716	36.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	17	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	10	0.5%
Two or More Races	68	3.5%
Race Unknown	108	5.5%
International Students	11	0.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Sterile Processing Technician Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Sterile Processing Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,942
4 years	$39,910
5 years	$44,672

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,672 — roughly 4% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Sterile Processing Technician Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Sterile Processing Technician graduates earn a median of $39,910 four years after completion — roughly 5% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	9,347
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist	3,893
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	3,329
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other	895
Histologic Technician	260
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	241
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	127

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.