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Sterile technician skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH
Sterile technician example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical sterile technician skills. We ranked the top skills for sterile technicians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 15.0% of sterile technician resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a sterile technician needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 sterile technician skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how sterile technicians use patients:
  • Sterilized instruments, assisted doctors in operations, interacted with parents and patients on a regular basis
  • Provided great customer service to patients by delivering equipment needed per nurse/physician request.

2. Aseptic Technique

Aseptic technique is a routine measure or series of actions used to prevent or minimize the risk of harmful microorganisms being introduced into a sterile area of the body during procedures that violate the body's natural defenses. The primary aim of the aseptic technique is to eliminate germs, that is, pathogenic microorganisms, to avoid contamination of a wound and other sensitive parts of the body, as this can lead to infection.

Here's how sterile technicians use aseptic technique:
  • Applied the understanding of microbiology, infection control and aseptic technique during the sterilization process.
  • Train BSL-2 and LFH aseptic techniques to new employees along with maintain training logs.

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how sterile technicians use patient care:
  • Handled patient care preparation and sterilization procedures.
  • Assemble instrument trays, case carts, operating rooms items and patient care equipment for surgery and nursing care areas.

4. Surgical Instruments

Here's how sterile technicians use surgical instruments:
  • Decontaminated surgical instruments, endoscopes, containers, and equipment supplies using detergents and disinfecting solutions.
  • Provide training to multiple employees of proper cleaning, decontamination and sterilization of surgical instruments.

5. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how sterile technicians use customer service:
  • Coordinated with other departments to provide excellent customer service.
  • Deliver outstanding customer service to Operating Room.

6. Instrument Trays

Here's how sterile technicians use instrument trays:
  • Prepared, packaged and sterilized instruments and instrument trays according to established guidelines; ensured that instrumentation was functioning properly.
  • Organized and assembled routines and specialty surgical instrument trays and other sterilized recorded sterilizer results.

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7. OSHA

Here's how sterile technicians use osha:
  • Set up instruments, cleaned/sterilized stations, prepared special procedure trays Enforced weekly OSHA testing of sterilization machines.
  • Follow strict OSHA and HIPAA policies and procedures.

8. Sterilizers

Here's how sterile technicians use sterilizers:
  • Monitored sterilizers weekly using spore tests and maintained sterilization records.
  • Repaired dental sterilizers which included electrical and small motor repair.

9. Cleanliness

Here's how sterile technicians use cleanliness:
  • Assisted in orthodontic work, primarily maintaining dental tool and fixture cleanliness and organization.
  • Maintained equipment room and ensured cleanliness and organization throughout office.

10. Sterilization Equipment

Here's how sterile technicians use sterilization equipment:
  • Performed quality control through routine testing and cleaning to assure sterilization equipment and instruments were functioning properly.
  • Assemble surgery sets, operate sterilization equipment - Sustain safe handling precautions for hazardous material

11. Patient Rooms

In a healthcare facility, the rooms that are specifically designed to provide a healthy and nurturing environment to a patient are called patient rooms. Patient rooms are equipped with all the basic medical appliances such as patient beds, ventilators, electrocardiograms, etc. Patients prior to or after surgery reside in the patient rooms that helps in recovering the health to normal.

Here's how sterile technicians use patient rooms:
  • Filled in as sterile tech, cleaned and set up patient rooms as needed.
  • Collected and delivered equipment to and from the patient rooms for their personal use.

12. Medical Equipment

Medical equipment refers to apparatus for use in medical procedures.

Here's how sterile technicians use medical equipment:
  • Sterilized and assembled medical equipment.- Maintained inventory on dental supplies.- Prepared trays with standard dental equipment for quick patient turnover.
  • Operated maintained cleaned and troubleshooted medical equipment malfunctions.

13. Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures include the list of tasks that are done while doing surgery. Usually, a surgical procedure involves an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or heal the disease in a living body. Surgical procedures are performed by trained individuals such as surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

Here's how sterile technicians use surgical procedures:
  • Contributed to the success of nursing staff by administering appropriate dispersal of instruments for surgical procedures.
  • Identified, disassembled, cleaned and correctly reassembled instruments used for various surgical procedures.

14. Sterrad

STERRAD is a specialized sterilization system. It stands for Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Plasma Sterilization. It is a method for utilizing an exclusive gas plasma technology to remove hydrogen peroxide residual from instruments and objects. STERRAD is commonly used for the decontamination of respirators that are exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogenic particulates.

Here's how sterile technicians use sterrad:
  • Prepared and sterilized various scopes and Divinci instruments using either steam, ETO or Sterrad.
  • Operated HI-VAC, ETO, Sterrad, Steris, heat sealers and other equipment.

15. Autoclaves

Here's how sterile technicians use autoclaves:
  • Sterilize instruments using autoclaves, ultrasonic's and chemical disinfectants to maintain accepted standards.
  • Operated autoclaves within guidelines and procedures.
top-skills

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Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDHAaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH LinkedIn profile

Dental Assisting Faculty, Articulation Officer, Website

In the Dental Assisting program at West Los Angeles College, the advice that we give our students includes several topics. The main recommendation is to take the California's Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) exam. Other advice includes, creating a professional resume (cloud based and on paper), always be respectful of other's time and having a professional mindset. These are qualities that are timeless.

List of sterile technician skills to add to your resume

Sterile technician skills

The most important skills for a sterile technician resume and required skills for a sterile technician to have include:

  • Patients
  • Aseptic Technique
  • Patient Care
  • Surgical Instruments
  • Customer Service
  • Instrument Trays
  • OSHA
  • Sterilizers
  • Cleanliness
  • Sterilization Equipment
  • Patient Rooms
  • Medical Equipment
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Sterrad
  • Autoclaves
  • CPR
  • Infection Control
  • Dental Instruments
  • Dental Equipment
  • ETO
  • Surgical Equipment
  • Medical Devices
  • Clean Rooms
  • Biological Indicators
  • FDA
  • Front Desk
  • Scheduling Appointments
  • GMP
  • Treatment Rooms
  • Syringes
  • Departmental Policies
  • Quality Improvement
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Surgical Trays
  • Sterilize Instruments
  • Eye Wash Stations
  • Surgical Cases
  • Medical Instruments
  • Exam Rooms
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Dental Procedures
  • Crash Carts

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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