Short-Term Technical Diploma
30-534-1
Central Service Technicians (CST) are the key persons responsible for maintaining the quality of medical products that are processed, packaged and sterilized by a hospital. This program will prepare individuals to clean, sterilize and assemble surgical instruments, equipment and supplies for use in operating rooms and other medical and surgical facilities. The content includes instruction in sterilization, infection control, decontamination, and surgical instrumentation processing, distribution and record keeping.
The CST Technical Diploma shares the Medical Terminology course as well as many of the same clinical sites within the Surgical Technician Associate Degree Program allowing graduates to advance their careers with a pathway to higher degree offerings.
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Apply principles of infection control in the role of the Central Service Technician.
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Decontaminate instruments and equipment.
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Prepare instruments, equipment and supplies.
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Apply sterilization techniques.
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Perform inventory control and distribute
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Function as an ethical, legal and professional member of the healthcare team.
Central service technicians, also called sterile processing technicians or central service (CS) professionals, have a key role in preventing infection by sterilizing, cleaning, processing, assembling, storing, and distributing medical supplies. The central service technician works in the central service department of a hospital or surgery center which is the hub of all activity surrounding supplies and equipment needed for surgery and patient care.
Central service technicians learn the principles of sterilization and sterile processing which is the cleaning medical supplies and preparing them to be used again.