Certified OR Tech / Surgical Tech (CST)

Central Sterile Technician

This position supports Mercy's philosophy of patient centered care by providing exceptional quality services. Central Sterile supports many areas of the organization whose schedule is based on emergent needs and while rare it may be required to work hours outside of your regular schedule. This position is responsible for ensuring that all reusable medical devices throughout the organization are properly tracked, decontaminated, assembled, inspected, packaged, sterilized or high-level disinfected (HLD), stored, and distributed in a quality and timely manner.

Job Duties

• Decontamination: Identifies and uses appropriate methods and solutions to sort, disassemble, decontaminate, rinse, and disinfect instruments and reusable medical devices. Operates and troubleshoots equipment in the department and follows appropriate steps in reporting equipment for repair. Appropriately handles garbage, linen, and biohazardous materials. Maintains safety standards.
• Preparing Instruments: Consistently uses count sheets to correctly assemble, protect, wrap, containerize, and/or peel package and label instruments. Identifies and inspects instruments for cleanliness and functionality. Provides attention to detail when assembling and inspecting instrumentation. Ensure proper assembly, lubrication inspection points and substitutions and counts are completed. Ensure appropriate instruments are in the sets and reviews Instructions for Use as needed.
• Sterilization Process: Selects appropriate sterilization methods and parameters. Knows and follows correct principles for sterilization. Utilizes Instruction for Use database and instrument tracking system to ensure all devices are properly sterilized. Properly document and verify sterilization loads and biological tests to determine the efficacy of the sterilization or disinfection process.
• Transportation and Storage: Properly handles and stores sterile supplies, equipment, and instruments. Ensures all standards are being followed when transporting both contaminated and processed reusable medical devices. Tracks medical devices to the customer in a timely manner.
• Equipment Use: Understands, uses, maintains, and operates the equipment specific to the department i.e. steam, gas, plasma, and ozone sterilizers, cart washers, washer/disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners, incubators AER, as well as a variety of testing devices and controls.
• Inventory Control: Knows and uses the processes involved in ordering, receiving, stocking, rotating, delivering, and monitoring usage of supplies and instrument tracking in the tracking system. Communicates supply issues to appropriate personnel in a timely manner.
• Environmental Standards: Maintains a clean, orderly work area. Completes assigned housekeeping duties.
• Other Duties: Performs other related job duties as required. Tracks progress and compliance to training, staff meeting, and in-service education. Helps answer questions and assist new hires a CS Aides as necessary. Follows Mercy's safety guidelines carries out job-specific safety duties and responsibilities and promptly reports any unsafe conditions, situations, incidents, and injuries.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must read, write, speak, and comprehend English fluently.
• Perform simple math.
• Able to work with frequent interruptions and handle multiple tasks.
• Basic computer knowledge.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and the ability to receive and give constructive feedback.
• Good verbal and written communication skills as needed for the job being concise by phone, intercom, and in person.
• Self-motivated, able to work independently with little or no supervision while maintaining integrity.
• Able to learn concepts and apply them to his/her work.

Professional Experience

• 6 months of sterilization in a healthcare setting preferred.
• Education: High School Diploma or equivalent strongly preferred.
• Completion of provisional Certified Registered Central Sterile Technician (CRCST) Exam or Sterilization course preferred.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration: Current valid driver's license, valid auto insurance, own transportation required.

Pay Rate Type: Hourly

Mercy is an independent community-based organization supporting the Cedar Rapids area for over 120 years. Mercy is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and therefore evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, parental status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.