Also called: Sterilization Technician
Makes sure medical devices and drugs are truly germ-free before they reach patients.
Loads products into sterilizers, places test strips with hardy spores inside, and checks afterward that nothing survived.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma plus on-the-job training; certifications available.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Biotechnology (certificate).
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Estimate.
Medium risk for 10 years. Sterilizers log cycles and results automatically; loading, testing and documentation are still done by people.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to hospital sterile processing departments or device sterilizers (STERIS, Sotera) for entry tech roles
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Health science CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.