Why work for Nebraska Methodist Health System?
At Nebraska Methodist Health System, we focus on providing exceptional care to the communities we serve and people we employ. We call it The Meaning of Care – a culture that has and will continue to set us apart. It’s helping families grow by making each delivery special, conveying a difficult diagnosis with a compassionate touch, going above and beyond for a patient’s needs, or giving a high five when a patient beats a disease or conquers a personal health challenge. We offer competitive pay, excellent benefits and a great work environment where all employees are valued! Most importantly, our employees are part of a team that makes a real difference in the communities we live and work in.

Job Summary:

Location: Methodist Women's Hospital
Address: 707 N. 190th Plaza, Elkhorn, NE

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 3:00pm to 11:30pm

Sterilization Technicians play an essential role in patient safety by sorting, assembling, sterilizing and distributing instrumentation from all areas of the hospital. This is a hands-on role that includes routine maintenance, instrument tracking, preparing accurate records, and maintaining a working knowledge of sterilization and disinfection methods required for specific instruments and equipment. As a Sterilization Technician, you will be responsible for following universal precautions, infection control policies, federal regulations, and standard policies and procedures within the organization.
Responsibilities of the Lead SPD Tech include scheduling, organizing, and providing work direction to meet production goals, assuring policies/procedures are maintained according to established guidelines. The Tech Lead position is part of the work production in addition to serving as liaison and resource for staff and customers regarding sterilization, processing of surgical instruments, and sterile instrument storage.

Responsibilities:

Essential Functions

1. Processes, sorts, assembles, and distributes contaminated and non-contaminated instruments and equipment to construct clean accurate sets which are in good repair by using special techniques and procedures of Universal Barrier Precautions.

• Follows procedures for manual cleaning process.
• Follows procedures for automated cleaning process.
• Proper use of chemicals and knowledge of MSDS forms.
• Practices Universal precautions, Infection Control policies and observes safe work practices.
• Communicates to appropriate personnel regarding sharps, punctures and other potential risks.
• Operates decontamination machinery in strict accordance with departmental procedures.
• Adheres to using personal protective equipment (PPE) while working in decontamination.

2. Distributes instruments sets to ensure receipt by departments in a timely manner as directed by supervisory staff, as requested by customers and as deemed necessary by technician.

• Accurately delivers sterile items in the correct location as designated in Sterile Processing Department (SPD).
• Responds to Operating Room (OR)/Outpatient Surgery (OPS)'s requests in a timely manner.

3. Prepares surgical instruments and related supplies to ensure surgical instrument sets are assembled accurately and completely by following recipe card.

• Precisely follows individual recipe sheets for each set/tray/item being assembled.
• Replace lost or damaged instruments as required to complete the set/tray.
• Conducts quality checks on instruments for cleanliness, function, defects, breakage and overall condition.
• Flushes all instruments with lumens or cannulated.

4. Keeps accurate records of sterilization and of all equipment in the department to comply with federal and other external regulations by following guidelines in department policy and procedure manual.

• Maintains SPD's equipment service log.
• Maintains accurate sterilization records/documentation.
• Follows protocol for scanning bar coded items.
• Scanning items to the proper stations and locations.
• Sterilization records entered accurately into the sterilization module.
• Consistently records accurate load control numbers.
• Consistently verifies and initials all records according to policy.

5. Orders supplies to ensure adequate inventory by adhering to par levels.

6. Performs sterile linen processing to ensure availability of sterile linen, by following established guidelines.

• Correctly assembles and wrap linen packs according to guidelines.
• Keeps sterile linen stocked to the set par levels.
• Proper wrapping techniques used when using non-woven wrapper.
• Proper packaging techniques used when using pa