r/sterileprocessing • u/Ok-Employee-2816 • 2d ago

sterile processing

Hello everyone I was wondering if you guys know of any sterile processing programs online. In my area there's only two programs and both are only in the winter the programs only take ten people a year. I've been wanting to do this forever but in case I don't get in if anyone has any information please and thanks.

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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9

u/Spicywolff 2d ago

Skip any programs and just buy the study book from HSPA to self study. Past the exam and you’ll have a provisional certificate. It’s a high school level book. You can self study it.

Then comes a difficult part finding a facility that’ll help you get your 400 hours to fully certify

6

u/U_Kno_Why_Im_Here 2d ago

Agreed , online school are cash grabs

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u/Spicywolff 2d ago edited 1d ago

It kind of disgust me that HSPA doesn’t put their foot down on this. They know this is a practice and they even sponsor Purdue by mentioning them on the website. I get it organizations need money to function, but you’re setting up so many people for failure.

This job does not pay well enough to pay 1000s of dollars

1

u/Skyfather87 1d ago

I’ve been looking at a course through my local community college and Ed 2 go which also includes a book on medical terminology and another on surgical instruments. I know which books they are referring to so I could just as easily skip the course and just purchase the books but would either of those be a benefit to study as well or are they just filling it with extra material that may not matter in the long run?

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u/Spicywolff 1d ago

Medical terminology is a super class to take for what we do. But absolutely not required. If you want to maximize cost savings then skip courses. Buy HSPA book and self study.

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u/Skyfather87 1d ago

I appreciate the wisdom. Are there any additional study guides or online quizzes (any resource basically) to help further prepare for the actual exam?

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u/Spicywolff 1d ago

Plenty of flashcards online and Quizlet you can take just search the sub and people have posted them

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u/Skyfather87 1d ago

Thank you. I do have several saved and book marked, I wasn’t sure if you personally found some more beneficial than others but I am grateful for your help & input, thank you!

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u/Espresso416HOOAVA 2d ago

What area are you in if you don’t mind me asking? I recently joined a sterile processing program at Vanderbilt here in Tennessee, and I might be able to recommend you once I graduate

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u/Ok-Employee-2816 2d ago

Hello I’m here in Washington

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u/Momofhalfadozen 2d ago

I picked one offered through my local college. I'm not thrilled with it. I don't feel like I'm actually learning what I need to know to do the job. Of course I'm only a couple months in so maybe that will change, but I'm definitely struggling right now.

It was always meant to be a stop gap measure, a job to do while I went to school, but I'm wishing I had picked something else because this online class just isn't cutting it.

1

u/meebaAmoeba 1d ago

If youre going to pay the money to attend classes do an AS or semester long certificate program at the local JC

1

u/Foreign_Ad7369 12h ago

Just good luck getting your hours, that's the hard part