Central Sterile Tech, Central Sterile, Full-Time (0930-1800 M-F)

NMC is currently recruiting a Central Sterile Tech. The position is full-time (80 hours bi-weekly), generally M-F 0930-1800. Call every 4th weekend. Northwestern Medical Center’s mission is to provide exceptional health care to our community. Join our high reliability team! With “people†as one of our core values, valuing our employees is a top priority for Northwestern. We care about our employees, their families, and their overall health & well-being. We are proud to offer a generous benefits package, with recognized national carriers, designed to help our people stay healthy, balance work & life responsibilities, protect your assets & plan for a secure financial future. IND123

Hiring Range

$17.0000 to $24.1700 USD

Central Sterile Technician

JOB SUMMARY:

The Central Supply Technician performs decontamination and sterilization of surgical equipment and instrumentation for the operating room, outpatient department, other hospital departments and physician offices. Additional functions include cleaning surgical suites, cleaning and packaging instrumentation, pulling supplies for surgical cases, and re-stock OR suites and sub sterile rooms.

PRE-REQUISITES:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent preferred.

Experience: Previous hospital or health care experience preferred.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Reports To: Central Sterile Supervisor; Director of Surgical Services

Other Contacts: Surgeons, Surgical Services Personnel, Hospital Personnel, Physician Offices, Patients and Patient’s families.

SCOPE:

Machinery or Equipment Used: Supply carts, sterilizers, autoclaves, centrifuge, ultra-sonic cleaner, steam water distiller, heat sealer, washer sterilizer and scope cleaner.

Physical Demands: Prolonged standing/walker with minimal sitting for inserting photos into the computer system, logging information into appropriate books. Use of both hands to clean, sterilize, wrap, label and store equipment. May sit briefly when doing surgical set ups, following color coded diagram. Sustained stooping is required for endoscopic cleaning. Occasional: squatting, bending/stooping, crouching, and overheard reaching when putting equipment and instrumentation away and pulling cases. Balancing required when reaching overhead, when wearing booties due to floor surface and with exposure to occasional wetness on the floors. Exposed to occasional awkward body positions when cleaning rooms. Handling of equipment weighing 20-40 lbs. Book Walter retractor (40 lbs) located at 36 and 41 inches on storage racks, spider foot piece (30 lbs) must be lifted from the floor and is awkward to handle . Frequent pushing/pulling to move furniture when cleaning rooms, move carts including autoclave headers (hand height 42-43 inches) and to pass/retrieve equipment and instrumentation between the decontamination room and the sterile supply room. Handling if equipment weighing up to 20 lbs. Reaching is required for both hands when re-stocking rooms, putting sterilized equipment/instrumentation away and pulling cases for the next day. Heights of reach vary from waist level (work table 36 inches) to 10 inches off the floor for the bottom shelf on storage racks to 67 inches at the highest shelf. Pinching and light gripping are necessary to wrap sterile instrumentation/equipment.

Working Conditions: Climate controlled at 60 degrees F. Frequent exposure to blood borne pathogens and infectious materials. Occasional slippery floor conditions. Moderate noise level when autoclave and washer are running simultaneously. Slight potential for exposure to ethylene oxide during autoclaving instruments/equipment that cannot be steamed. Also exposed to peroxyacetic acid 35% (Steris 20), glutoraldehyde and bleach.

Required Protective Equipment: PPE indicated during decontamination and sterilization procedures. Sterile environment must be maintained. Full face shield with mask when indicated, gloves, hair nets, booties, uniform, bear net (for med), thermal gloves for handling autoclave header when taking hot, sterile objects from autoclave.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Clean instruments to prepare and process them for sterilization

• Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in load, and maintenance procedures performed
  
• Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed
  
• Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair
  
• Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff
  

2. Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated

• Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems
  
• Prepare case carts according to preference cards
  

3. Communicates with patients, team members, and management in an accurate and timely manner evidenced by:

• Talks with and listens to team members
  
• Reports pertinent, concise information
  

+ Report equipment issues to proper channels

• Completes timely documentation
  
• Protects confidentiality of colleagues
  
• Collaborates with appropriate staff to orient new employees
  

4. Applies critical thinking skills and considers alternatives

• Organizes multitask workload
  
• Prioritizes tasks/work
  
• Seeks assistance appropriately
  

5. Manages self and resources effectively

• Acknowledges limits of experience and capability
  
• Utilizes equipment and supplies appropriately
  

+ Regularly assess instrument inventory to ensure adequate par levels to support surgical cases

+ Monitors sterilizing equipment autoclaves for optimum working order

• Maintain clean, orderly environment of care
  
• Ensures traffic control in "service areas"
  
• Performs tasks in a safe manner according to all policies/procedures
  

6. Demonstrates the unit specific skills requisite for performance

• See unit specific competencies
  
• Adheres to AAMI standards for sterilizing and disinfecting instrumentation and equipment for OR and OPD
  
• Processes instrumentation appropriately: sorts, wraps, sterilizes
  
• Disperses OR linen supply daily
  
• Manages case cart system for daily surgical cases in CR by pulley supplies, instrumentation and equipment needed for those cases
  

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.