Healthcare

How to become a Sterile Processing Technician

From no experience: every step, how long it takes, and the credential it earns.

Time to get there

4–8 months

Typical pay

$38k–$50k

Starting from

No experience

The steps

1. 1

   Take a sterile processing course

   Decontamination, assembly, sterilisation, and the tracking paperwork.

   4–6 months

   Course that covers thisCSPDT Exam Prep: 2026 Sterile Processing Practice TestsUdemy · around $19.99 →
2. 2

   Log your hands-on hours

   HSPA wants 400 hours; some programs build them in, otherwise you work provisionally.

   3–6 months

3. 3

   Sit the CRCST exam

   The credential most hospitals now require rather than prefer.

   CRCST (HSPA)

Course links are Udemy affiliate links — we earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Licences and exams named above are issued by state boards and certifying bodies we have no relationship with; we list them because they are what the job actually requires.