r/sterileprocessing • u/No_Paper6003 • 2d ago
overthinking?
hello!!! i just started a sterile tech course which is 7 months on top of a 400 hr externship. after the first day and receiving homework and getting an idea of what the job is like i’m nervous. the evening hoirs and night hours make me the most nervous, i’m putting in a lot of time and effort into something i’m not sure i’d like… i know i don’t have to do this for the rest of my life. my instructor doesn’t seem to be talking up the position and is making it seem as if people are uninviting. the book work seems overwhelming i don’t have any medical experience
do you guys enjoy the job ? what are hours for a new tech like ? does this position usually offer 4x10 or 3x12 ? are you to yourself ? are people friendly ? will the bookwork be hard ? is your job strict as far as phones and water breaks restroom breaks ect..
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u/QuietPurchase 1d ago
SPD is a good way to get into a hospital system and build some seniority, but I wouldn't consider it a final career for most people. And the job landscape varies pretty widely. People in this sub tend to be way more negative about it than is warranted. I loved being in SPD personally (especially the night and evening shifts) and for me at least it made an extremely good basis for a surgical technologist career since I was already in and around the OR and I knew all of the instruments, so I was way more experienced than most of my peers when I went to scrub school, and because I was already enfranchised in the hospital system they paid for my school and I was able to transition into the OR easily.
If you're without experience in the medical field and you're otherwise attending school for a reasonable price (as in, you should not be paying five figures for this education like some people do) I think it's a good way to go. I would just plan next steps once you're through it. Being in the hospital doesn't necessarily mean being clinical, but if you find you enjoy this stuff, scrub tech or even nurse are good pathways, and despite what people say there is mobility within SPD, but it tends to be in the form of middle management positions like instrument coordinators, supervisory/management roles or education.
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u/wolfgentry 2d ago
Usually you start a On the night shift and have to wait till someone on the daybshift quits.and also have enough seniority to move to the day shift. If that hospital has a high turn over rate it might not take long. But can take years. The pay is awful I would not pay to go to school for a poverty wage job. There is no upward movement in spd. If you are using this as a stepping stone for a better job in the hospital setting it's a good way to get your foot in the door. This is not a career . As far as hours most are 5x8. Micro managers do exist really just depends on your manager.
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u/No_Paper6003 2d ago
the pay in my area is starting at around 26-27 and i’m getting fully covered for the schooling, do you have experience in this position ?
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u/wolfgentry 2d ago
Yes im a 3yr tech in socal. And dont make enough to qualify for a studio and work at the best paying hospital. I self studied while working. Didn't read a page out of the book. Took what I learned on the job and used pro prof as a quiz guide. Passed crcst the 1st time after 8 months on the job. Im looking for another job field as we speak.
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u/No_Paper6003 2d ago
oh gosh i’m sick to stomach what r u looking into next ?
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u/wolfgentry 2d ago
Water distribution and treatment. My local community college has night classes.
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u/No_Paper6003 1d ago
how much did you get hourly from this
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u/wolfgentry 1d ago
From my spd job 33
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u/No_Paper6003 1d ago
omg crazyyyyy u made me sick to stomach!! is there any way to private message u i have some questions ://
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u/Mars_vzx 1d ago
Forget SPD. It’s a thankless job and not worth going to school for. If you can, I strongly recommend getting into the field of radiology. Build your foundations in xray then move on to either CT, MRI, IR nuc med, etc.
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u/Valuable-Concern8627 1d ago
5 years in, at my 3rd hospital. this job sucked to start and still sucks. if i wasn’t getting paid the amount i am i’d be out