STERILE PROCESSING
$58,070 on average annually, followed by those in surgicenters/ambulatory centers at $52,261.
Facilities in urban locations pay the most when it comes to the CS/SPD, with staff earning an average of $73,224 in 2022, followed by suburban facilities at $68,500 and lastly those in rural areas at $53,075. While CS/SPD professionals in the Pacific region of the U.S. reported the highest average salary at $86,916 in 2022, they were not the biggest pay gainers, with pay remaining about the same compared with 2021 ($86,521). That designation goes to those in the Central Region with a 17% pay leap to $62,974 in 2022 from $53,539 in 2021. Those in the second highest region for pay, the Northeast, also saw a sig- nifi cant bump at 7, in 222 up from $63,743 in 2021, a 10% increase. The average annual CS/SPD salary in the Southeastern region saw the biggest drop at $53,541 in 2022 compared with $57,569 in 2021, a 7% decrease. Those in the Mountain region, which continues to be on the high range of CS/SPD pay, also reported a decline in annual salary at $67,148 in 2022 from $69,806 in 2021, a 4% decrease.
“Certain regions of the country pay far
lower than they should,” Bonner com- mented. “It is not surprising when a sterile processing technician making $13 per hour in a hospital quits and takes a job at a retail store paying $3 more per hour. Hospitals need to pay attention to salaries in their markets and compensate their CS/SPD staff fairly to maintain them.”
Certifi cation makes a difference While the drive for certifi cation among CS SPD professionals is largely backed by the desire to perform reprocessing safely and effectively, as well as hospital mandates, putting some cash behind certification efforts doesn’t hurt.
There was a slight uptick in survey
respondents who are already certifi ed at 91% in 2022, compared with 89% in 2021. The average annual salary for certifi ed CS SPD professionals is $68,049, compared with , for those who are not certifi ed. On the fl ip side, while 7 of those sur- veyed said their employers require certifi ca- tion, only 19% said they are compensated for earning certifi cation unitspoints. “In my system as well as the rest of the country, I’m seeing that if you tie quality outcomes and key performance indi- cators (KPIs), along with certification and educa- tion, there tends to be a rise in salaries of SP profession- als,” said Damien Berg, BA, BS, CRCST, AAMIF, HSPA’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. His previ- ous role was Regional Manager, Sterile Processing, for UCHealth in Northern Colorado, where he continues to serve in a consultant role. Siri Sorensen, MA, CAE, PMP, CMP, HSPA’s Director of Certification and Membership, said the organization continues to see certifi cation numbers trend upward, stating:
Damien Berg
$86,916 SALARY BY REGION WITH BREAKOUTS BY GENDER
Pacifi c Mountain $67,148 PACIFIC - 10%
5% $73,944 5% $99,889
MOUNTAIN - 15%
11% $64,900 4% $73,571
CENTRAL - 22%
18% $60,171 4% $75,785
SOUTHEAST - 14%
11% $50,921 2% $65,000
1% of survey respondents chose not to disclose their gender
40 March 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com Central $62,974 NORTHEAST - 37%
25% $58,177 11% $96,975
“In 2020, when the pandemic started, we did see almost a 25% loss in applications due to the inability for applicants to test, as testing centers were closed in light of the pandemic. In 2021, though, we were just shy of a 30% increase over 2020. Currently, we are closing in on our pre-pandemic 2019 levels.”
Those holding certification from HSPA (formerly IAHCSMM) jumped to 76% in 2022 from 69% in 2021, a 10% increase, while those certified from the Certifi cation Board for Sterile Processing & Distribution (CBSPD) held steady at 28%. Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) certifi - cation, which is high on the list, dropped slightly at 21% in 2022 compared with 23% in 2021. “The push of certifi cation by accreditation bodies and the focus of the Sterile Processing areas throughout the medical industry has brought a new awareness that wasn’t present prior to the pandemic,” said Jan Prudent, BA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, CFER, FCS, Sterile Processing Manager for Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls and HSPA Board Member. “The issue now is that there is a shortage of qualifi ed applicants and a need for bodies to perform the tasks at hand. Although I pride myself on raising the bar with certifi cation, it is my opinion that with the staff shortage, quality and certifi cation may be overlooked and corners could be cut.”
Jan Prudent
A continued focus on continuing education
Northeast
$70,000 Southeast
$53,541
When asked about continuing education courses/lessons, 88% of respondents said they participate in 10 or more each year, which is about the same response as last year. But looking at those who participate in 20 or more annually, the percentage jumped to 44% in 2022 up from 35% in 2021, a 26% increase. “As technologies advance and we learn more about the intricacies of the science of sterilization, the need for education contin- ues to grow,” said Natalie Lind, CRCST, CHL, FCS, HSPA’s Director of Education. “Initial education and con- tinuing education are criti- cal to help ensure our practices provide the safest experience for our patients. Many Sterile Processing
Natalie Lind
professionals have used this time to further their education, become certified, and enhance their skills. If there is one thing the
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