Career
Medical equipment preparers
Clean and sterilize the instruments hospitals depend on.
$47,700
Median pay
+10.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
10,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.
- Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.
- Record sterilizer test results.
- Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.
- Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $47,700 a year and 10,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Sterile Processing Technology/TechnicianCIP 51.1012
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Surgical Technologists$64,650 · +5.0%
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians
- Endoscopy Technicians
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians$74,310 · +3.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.