Program Overview

Introduction to the Sterile Processing Technician Program

The Sterile Processing Technician program at Berkeley College is designed to prepare students for an exciting career in a highly technical and specialized environment in healthcare. The program focuses on the sterile processing department of a healthcare facility, which is responsible for cleaning and sterilizing supplies and equipment needed for surgery and other patient care areas.

Program Overview

The Berkeley College Sterile Processing Technician program is available as a certificate program or as a concentration in the Health Sciences Associate's degree program. The program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter this in-demand career field. Students will learn about operating rooms, operating room procedures, and instruments used in operating rooms, as well as the skills to deliver support to patient care areas within a healthcare facility.

Key Components of the Program

• The "ins and outs" of operating rooms, operating room procedures, and instruments used in operating rooms
• The skills to deliver support to patient care areas within a healthcare facility
• Procedures for maintaining medical instruments and devices that must be decontaminated, processed, sterilized, and distributed

Program Benefits

Students will also benefit from:

• Credits from the Sterile Processing Technician certificate program that can be applied toward the Berkeley College Health Sciences Associate in Applied Science degree program to expand career opportunities
• A strong foundation in the fundamentals of healthcare
• Opportunities to practice communication and interpersonal skills needed for developing a rapport with colleagues and patients
• Valuable, practical experience through a program-related, faculty-monitored practicum
• General Education and science courses that provide students with the foundational skills and knowledge necessary to reason clearly and communicate effectively

Program Duration and Accreditation

The two-semester Sterile Processing Technician Certificate program is designed to be completed in 30 weeks. The Berkeley College Sterile Processing Technician program meets the requirements of the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), making graduates eligible to sit for the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) examination. Passing this examination is required to work as a Sterile Processing Technician in some states, including New Jersey and New York.

Associate's Degree Program

The four-semester Health Sciences Associate's degree program can be completed in as few as 16 months.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Berkeley College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or any other category protected by applicable law, in its programs and activities.