Central Sterile Processing Associate/Technician (PartnerUp

PartnerUp Super Day - Early Career Opportunity

This opportunity is part of PartnerUp's Super Day, a hiring event designed for graduating high school students interested in starting a career in healthcare. The Sterile Processing Associate/Technician role offers hands‑on experience in a hospital setting and is a great entry point for students who are interested in behind‑the‑scenes patient care. In this role, individuals play a critical part in ensuring surgical instruments and equipment are properly cleaned, inspected, and prepared-helping support safe, high‑quality care for patients while building foundational skills for a long‑term career in healthcare.

This posting includes two levels of the same career path:

• Sterile Processing Associate - Entry-level role with on-the-job training; starts at $18.59/hour
• Sterile Processing Technician - Advanced role with more experience and/or certification; starts at $18.79/hour

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates knowledge of performance improvement tools and techniques.
• Continuously improves the quality of care and the work environment of outcomes and the integration of research and best practices into daily work.
• Shares learning from improvements with other units and/or spreads across the business unit or system.
• Practices solid verbal and written communication skills and is able to articulate and translate to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in unit practices.
• Documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.
• Demonstrates critical thinking in the analysis of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues.
• Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction of the patient experience in daily work.
• Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with colleagues.
• Disseminates new knowledge and innovations through presentations, posters, and publications.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring and modeling uplifting and positive communication.
• Coaches' colleagues on cultural diversity and addresses workplace horizontal violence and impairment.
• Demonstrates accountability to self and others for safe work hours, time management and healthy lifestyles.
• Demonstrates interest in the development of others and positively impacts the lives of patients/families, peers, and members of the healthcare team through mentoring, education, and knowledge sharing.
• Seeks opportunities to share expertise with other members of the healthcare team within and beyond the clinical unit/department.
• Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care.
• Makes recommendations for the improvement of clinical care and the health of the workplace and welcomes and participates in change initiatives.
• Leads by investing and building healthy relationships among colleagues and other disciplines.
• Shows the ability to set priorities.
• Conforms and adheres to department policies concerning decontamination, sterile processing, infection control and safety.
• Cleans and decontaminates reusable equipment, instruments, and supplies, manually and mechanically.
• Prepares and assembles surgical tray and equipment following established tray listings for issue, storage, or further processing.
• Monitors, reads, documents, and interprets all parameters for all types of sterilizers to ensure proper function.
• Maintains a working knowledge of, and is able to effectively troubleshoot, all decontamination/sterilization equipment.
• Assesses supplies required for prescribed standard surgical procedures and sets up case carts. Maintains inventory, collects, disassembles, inspects, cleans, disinfects and reassembles all instrument trays patient care equipment.
• Communicates appropriately using good interpersonal skills.
• Displays awareness of cost containment in the organization of work by using economy in time, motion and material.
• Participates in performance improvement activities.
• Develops and improves skills through initiative, attendance and participation at educational programs
• Participates as a team member and is accountable for own work responsibilities.
• Demonstrates UPMC's commitment to the Core Values by understanding the needs of patients, their families, physicians, and co-workers and doing what is required the first time, every time by being responsible, sensitive, accurate, timely, coordinated and thorough.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by authorized personnel or as may be required to meet emergency situations
• Performs in accordance with system-wide competencies/behaviors.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• High school Graduate or equivalent.
• Six months of healthcare experience or currently enrolled in an Accredited Surgical Technician/Sterile Processing Program Preferred.
• Must complete 10 hours of continuing education to remain qualified as a Central Sterile Technician on an annual basis.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Employees active in a Central Sterile position, on or before the effective date 12/27/2020, at a healthcare facility, are grandfathered regarding certification and will not need to obtain it unless they move into a different position that would require certification.
• Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution or Certified Registered Central Service Technician or International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management certification required.
• New employees will have 18 months from date of hire to obtain required certification.
• Act 34 with renewal

UPMC is an equal opportunity employer