In response to a growing need in the healthcare workforce, Yakima Valley College’s Allied Health Technology Department is launching a new Sterile Processing Technician (SPT) Certificate starting in Fall 2022. The deadline to apply is August 1.
Sterile processing technicians care for and process all types of medical devices, surgical equipment and instrumentation, and patient care items.
Libby McRae, surgical technology program coordinator, said YVC’s certificate will be the first and only program available in the Yakima Valley.
“Sterile processing is a career pathway that offers steady employment with strong job growth projected,” McRae said. “Students will be able to prepare for exciting careers as an integral member of the healthcare team in sterile processing or materials management departments of hospitals and surgery centers.”
The certificate is 19 credits and includes online instruction, hands-on practice in the college’s state-of-the-art, simulated sterile processing department and a 400-hour clinical externship. Graduates will be ready to sit for the National Certified Registered Central Service Technician Examination and those who pass will be ready to enter a career with an average annual wage of more than $41,000.
The SPT Certificate joins the college’s popular Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Surgical Technology.
Up to 10 students will be accepted into the SPT Certificate program each fall on YVC’s Yakima Campus. Applications are accepted May 1 through August 1 for both the AAS in Surgical Technology and SPT Certificate programs.