How to become a Medical Equipment Preparer

Official title: Medical Equipment Preparers

Also called: Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech), Central Supply Processing Department Technician (CSPDT), Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST), CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician), CSS Technician (Central Sterile Supply Technician), CST (Central Service Technician), Equipment Technician (Equipment Tech), Sterile Preparation Technician (Sterile Preparation Tech), Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician (SPD Tech), Sterile Technician (Sterile Tech)

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

Main tasks

• Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.
• Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.
• Record sterilizer test results.
• Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.
• Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.
• Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.
• Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers.
• Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Central Sterile Processing Technician.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $47,700 a year The middle half earn $39,800 to $58,570.
• About 79,900 people work in this job now, and about 88,600 are projected by 2035. (+10.8%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Dental Assistants
• Medical Assistants
• Medical Transcriptionists
• Pharmacy Aides
• Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
• Phlebotomists

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Medical Equipment Preparer?

Ways in include: Central Sterile Processing Technician.

How much does a Medical Equipment Preparer earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $47,700 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $39,800 to $58,570.

Is a Medical Equipment Preparer a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 79,900 to about 88,600 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Medical Equipment Preparer?

Not always. 28% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Central Sterile Processing Technician.

Will AI change the work of a Medical Equipment Preparer?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.