Covenant Health

Sterile Processing Technician I

PRN/OCC, 56 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Covenant Health is the region's top performing healthcare network. Each of our more than 10,000 employees, physicians, and volunteers are unified by one covenant: to put our patients first every day, to strive for excellence in everything we do, and to make Covenant Health the first and best choice in our region

Cumberland Medical Center is a 189-bed hospital in Crossville, Tennessee, with more than 650 employees and 175 active physicians. It offers a full range of specialty services, including cardiology, gastroenterology, surgery, orthopedics, maternity services, cancer care, and advanced wound care.

• • Emergency Department: 24 emergency beds       
  • Intensive Care Unit (ICU): 12 ICU beds
  • Labor & Delivery: 12 LDRP suites
  • Med/Surg: 37 beds
    
  • Surgery: 9 operating room surgery suites
  • Telemetry   37 beds  
    

Fully accredited by the Joint Commission, Cumberland Medical Center is an acute care hospital offering all private patient rooms as well as specialized services not usually found in the rural medical system.

For seriously ill patients, advanced medical and surgical care is provided at CMC including telemetry monitored beds and an intensive care unit. Additionally, Cumberland Medical Center offers an outpatient imaging center, same day surgery unit, cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs, a sleep disorder center, breast center, cancer center, and hyperbaric medicine and wound center.

"Cumberland Medical Center offers a unique, family-oriented healthcare setting in a rural environment. We strive to deliver exceptional care to our patients, their loved ones, and each other. We look forward to welcoming team-focused people to grow their careers with us!"

-Chief Nursing Officer, Cumberland Medical Center

Position Summary:

Under the direction of department leadership, responsible for the proper decontamination, inspection, assembly, and high level disinfection and sterilization of surgical instruments. Operates processing equipment. Requires proficiency in instrument decontamination and assembly and knowledge of the sterilization methods available and which method is appropriate in correlation with the devices that are to be processed. 

Recruiter: Whitney Mocsari || wmocsari@covhlth.com || 865-374-5384

• Decontaminates surgical instruments according to manufacturer’s instructions or advised by the department leader. Will operate all decontamination equipment including washer disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners, cart washer, and automatic endoscope reprocessor (AER).
• Inspects instruments after decontamination, ensuring all items are clean, intact, functional, and accounted for.
• Assembles trays in a manner that ensures devise sterility as well as presenting a tray that is easy for the end user to access for use. Uses count sheets to ensure trays are assembled accurately. Interfaces with the instrument tracking system for all functions of processing.
• Packages or containerizes instrument sets according to manufacturer’s guidelines and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards. Packages in a neat and proper technique ensuring easy, aseptic opening in the operating room.
• Loads sterilizer carts in a way to ensure packaged items are not punctured or compromised, loads containers and wrapped goods as recommended.
• Runs daily sterilizer tests on all steam and low temperature sterilizers.
• Operates sterilizer according to manufacturer’s instruction, ensuring load biological monitoring.
• Documents all load contents, interfaces load to tracking system, loads cycle confirming correct parameters, monitors sterilizer to tracking system information, and records all pertinent information (biological, mechanical, and chemical).
• Unloads sterilizers, ensuring items are not compromised, and stores in correct location according to tracking system storage locations.
• Follows endoscope manufacturer’s processing instructions and accepted standards/ guidelines.
• Responsible for the cleanliness of the department and all processing equipment.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:           

None specified; will accept any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job, typically such as would be equivalent to a high school diploma or GED. Preference may be given to individuals possessing a HS diploma or GED.

Minimum Experience:         

None

Licensure Requirement:      

If hired into this position after January 1, 2017, must take and pass an accepted Central Processing exam through either IAHCSMM (International Association for Healthcare Material Management) as a Certified Registered Sterile Processing Technician (CRCST) or through CBSPD (Certification Board for Sterile Processing Technicians) as a Certified Sterile Processing Distribution Technician (CSPDT) within 2 years of entry-level employment in the position.

 If hired into this position before January 1, 2017, must complete a minimum of 10 continuing education credits annually in areas related to sterile processing.