How to Become a Sterile Processing Technician in Alabama

How would you like to go to a medical facility and see dirty, non-sterile equipment?

I know I wouldn’t, and I don’t know anyone who would enjoy this either.

Luckily, these locations seek and hire sterile processing technicians to avoid such situations and to greatly reduce contamination and the spread of illnesses.

These professionals also help the remaining medical staff by cutting down on the duties the latter have to perform between consultations.

How to Become a Sterile Processing Technician in Alabama

In Alabama, sterile processing technicians are not required to have any special education or diploma to find a job.

Usually, candidates can apply for such a position right after completing high school or obtaining a GED.

In such a scenario, the technicians will receive the proper training on the job.

The downside is that the salary will be lower than those who already have some experience or even some training under their belts.

It is not unheard of for employers to prefer candidates that have finished at least 2 years of college in the medical field.

Candidates also have the possibility to obtain a certification in the field from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA).

This institution has 5 levels of certification and these are:

• Central Service Management
• Secondary Instrumentation Certification
• Secondary Certification
• Central Service Vendor Certification
• Endoscope Reprocessing Certification

To become certified, you need to:

• Submit an application
• Pass a background test
• Pay some fees
• Register with your local Prometric testing center
• Take and pass the exam

Usually, the results from the test are transmitted two weeks after the exam.

Beware that you can only take the certification test if your application is accepted.

Once you become certified you must ensure to renew your credential every year.

There are several fees to pay:

• For applying
• For the background check
• For registering with Prometric

If you want to take the exam but you don’t have any clue as to what you need to know, I have you covered in the next section!

Training Programs for Sterile Processing Technicians in Alabama

The position of a sterile processing technician is not that well known, despite it being a rather important one in the medical field.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t any schools or programs you can attend for this occupation, on the contrary!

Below, you can see a list of schools that offer such training along with a few more details about the school and the available program.

Jefferson State Community College

This state community college has one program to offer to those who want to become sterile processing technicians.

Through these classes, students will become familiar with:

• Instrumentation identification and safety
• Infection control
• Aseptic techniques
• Implementation of its principles
• Inventory management and distribution
• The fundamental science of sterile processing

The duration of the program is around 20 weeks with the last 4 weeks consisting of 103 hours of clinical rotation.

Students that graduate from this program will also receive a Certificate of Completion that helps with taking the exam I mentioned above.

This course will be considered both as internship and externship hours which will be useful when seeking a job.

Both the Jefferson and Shelby-Hoover campuses, in Birmingham, have this training program.

Southern Union State Community College

The course offered by the Southern Union State Community College differs a little from the other one presented.

For starters, upon completing it, students will receive a certification of achievement.

Other differences are its duration and structure.

This course will last for 400 hours or between 10 to 15 weeks.

These 400 hours also include the practice in a medical facility that is mandatory for these students.

The hands-on experience hours must be completed either at the same time as the program or within a maximum of six months from finishing it.

Here are some of the areas in which students receive training:

• Equipment storage
• Implementing sterilization protocols  
• Quality assurance
• Specialty procedures
• Microbiology overview

You might be curious about the contact information of these colleges.

Look no further than the next table!

Sterile Processing Technician Salaries in Alabama

Job openings for sterile processing technicians are expected to grow both in Alabama and at the national level.

This also means that the salary is a bit higher for this occupation when compared to other entry-level jobs in the medical field.

On the lower spectrum, around $34,000 is what you can expect to earn as a sterile processing technician in this state.

Clearly, this is the income of those who get hired as soon as they graduate from high school and have little to no experience.

The most one can earn for this position is around $56,000 annually, although the majority receive about $43,000 per year.

These figures are for those who earned a certification and also accumulated some experience in the field.

They possibly might have additional duties assigned as well.

Of course, people earn more in an urban setting and the cities in which these professionals earn the highest median salary in Alabama can be seen below.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in Alabama

Sterile Processing Technician by State