Find Trade Colleges
Medical Equipment Preparers: Career Overview
Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.
What Do Medical Equipment Preparers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of medical equipment preparers cover:
- Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.
- Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.
- Record sterilizer test results.
- Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.
- Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.
- Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff.
- Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low.
- Stock crash carts or other medical supplies.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful medical equipment preparers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Medical Equipment Preparers Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Aseptic Technician (Aseptic Tech)
- Bandage Maker
- Central Processing Technician (CPT)
- Central Service Technician (CST)
- Central Sterile Processing Technician (Central Sterile Processing Tech)
- Central Sterile Supply Technician (CSS Technician)
- Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech)
- Central Sterilization Technician
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 997,101 medical equipment preparers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +7.8% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Medical Equipment Preparers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $30,227 |
| Hourly median | $14.53 |
| 10th percentile | $21,780 |
| 25th percentile | $26,004 |
| 75th percentile | $34,450 |
| 90th percentile | $38,673 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $62,710 |
| District of Columbia | $54,390 |
| Delaware | $52,080 |
| Rhode Island | $51,980 |
| New York | $51,880 |
| Massachusetts | $51,610 |
| Hawaii | $51,470 |
| Washington | $51,190 |
| New Jersey | $49,090 |
| Oregon | $49,050 |
| Minnesota | $48,580 |
| Alaska | $48,330 |
| Maryland | $47,630 |
| New Hampshire | $47,460 |
| Illinois | $47,100 |
| Colorado | $46,870 |
| Wyoming | $46,700 |
| Georgia | $46,700 |
| Connecticut | $46,660 |
| Vermont | $46,630 |
| Wisconsin | $46,170 |
| Arizona | $46,060 |
| Texas | $46,010 |
| Utah | $45,250 |
| Michigan | $45,230 |
| Maine | $44,840 |
| Virginia | $44,760 |
| Idaho | $44,450 |
| Ohio | $44,150 |
| Florida | $44,070 |
| Tennessee | $44,030 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,920 |
| Kentucky | $42,870 |
| Oklahoma | $42,570 |
| West Virginia | $42,400 |
| Missouri | $42,390 |
| South Carolina | $41,650 |
| Nevada | $41,600 |
| North Carolina | $41,590 |
| Montana | $40,830 |
| New Mexico | $40,720 |
| Indiana | $40,710 |
| Kansas | $40,410 |
| Nebraska | $40,230 |
| Iowa | $39,680 |
| South Dakota | $39,120 |
| North Dakota | $37,480 |
| Arkansas | $37,050 |
| Guam | $36,480 |
| Louisiana | $36,320 |
| Alabama | $35,040 |
| Mississippi | $32,700 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,300 |
Where Medical Equipment Preparers Earn the Most
Pay for medical equipment preparers shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $58,086 | 17.9% | 1.11 |
| Middle Atlantic | $49,163 | 16.4% | 1.09 |
| New England | $48,961 | 5.2% | 1.13 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,556 | 4.1% | 1.04 |
| Southwest | $45,498 | 9.5% | 0.89 |
| Great Lakes | $44,902 | 15.6% | 1.11 |
| Southeast | $42,628 | 23.7% | 0.99 |
| Plains States | $42,544 | 7.4% | 1.11 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $82,070 | 190 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $81,540 | 1,120 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $79,820 | 50 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $78,760 | 40 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $78,530 | 500 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $76,570 | 720 |
| Redding, CA | CA | $74,000 | 50 |
| Modesto, CA | CA | $69,700 | 150 |
Which Industries Hire Medical Equipment Preparers
Most medical equipment preparers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 67,050 | $46,480 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,950 | $44,230 |
| Wholesale Trade | 870 | $45,960 |
| Educational Services | 740 | $49,530 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 660 | $50,680 |
| Retail Trade | 590 | $40,520 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 290 | $45,400 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 260 | $47,480 |
Below are examples of industries where medical equipment preparers work:
Tech Stack
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Time accounting software: Kronos Workforce Timekeeper (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for medical equipment preparers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
Education and Training
Typical medical equipment preparers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians (Primary-Long)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists (Primary-Short)
- Cytotechnologists (Supplemental)
- Histotechnologists (Primary-Long)
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Primary-Short)
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians (Primary-Short)
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring medical equipment preparers often complete programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 31-9093.00 (Medical Equipment Preparers).
TradeCollege.org provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. TradeCollege.org is a for-profit site, and the displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TradeCollege.org – All Rights Reserved.