Healthcare Support · Holland code RCI

Medical Equipment Preparers

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

Also called: Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech), CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician), CSS Technician (Central Sterile Supply Technician), CST (Central Service Technician), Central Supply Processing Department Technician (CSPDT), Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST), Equipment Technician (Equipment Tech), Sterile Preparation Technician (Sterile Preparation Tech).

O*NET 31-9093.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $47,700; Middle half earn $39,800 to $58,570. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 44% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.
Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.
Record sterilizer test results.
Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.
Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.
Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.
Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers.
Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Monitoring3.4 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Biology3.4 / 5
Production and Processing3.2 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.1 / 5
Administrative3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic96
Investigative40
Artistic0
Social23
Enterprising0
Conventional76

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

medical laboratory assistant · DE Medizinisch-technischer Laborassistent/Medizinisch-technische Laborassistentin · FR aide-laborantin d’analyses médicales/aide-laborantine d’analyses médicales
respiratory therapy technician · DE Atemtherapietechniker/Atemtherapietechnikerin · FR technicien intervention matériel assistance respiratoire/technicienne intervention matériel assistance respiratoire
sterile services technician · DE Mitarbeiter Sterilgutversorgung/Mitarbeiterin Sterilgutversorgung · FR agent de stérilisation/agente de stérilisation

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Health associate professionals n.e.c. (3219)36,300 employed
Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (6131)337,700 employed
Dental nurses (6133)41,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Service and sales workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€32,957
Sweden	€32,596
Netherlands	€29,198
Austria	€29,068
Germany	€27,471
Ireland	€26,978
Italy	€24,995
France	€24,971
Spain	€18,303
Portugal	€10,656
Poland	€7,579

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.73. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (31-9093).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test