STERILE PROCESSING
retail, we are aiding in the saving of one’s life one tray at a time.”
“If you Google ‘sterile processing jobs in
the U.S.,’ you get over 2 million open posi- tions in some form related to sterile process- ing,” said Lawayne Perkins, President of Consulting Services, SIPS. “Clearly, the need for these professionals is more sig- nificant than ever; how- ever, provisions haven’t changed. There have been no significant or dynamic salary changes in the past decade, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean wage for ‘medical instruments preparer,’ i.e., sterile processing, is less than your local Starbucks wage.”
Lawayne Perkins
Alessandra Nicholson, CIS, CHL, CRCST, is Founder and President of The Candray Institute, providing healthcare education and training, professional development, and employee advocacy for marginalized employees. Understanding how many SPD professionals come from low-income backgrounds, she works to teach finan- cial literacy and nego- tiation skills so they can advocate for higher wages. “I have found many
SPD Techs need training around negotiation, espe- cially when they’re new hires and often don’t understand there is a pay scale and the opportunity to ask for higher pay,” said Nicholson. She noted another major issue in SPDs:
Alessandra Nicholson
staff members being asked to take on responsibilities beyond their title and pay- grade. She stated: “A Lead SPD Tech may be asked to per-
form to the level of Supervisor, a Supervisor to that of a Manager, and a Manager to that
SALARY BY TITLE SPD Manager SPD Supervisor
Lead SPD Technician
SPD Technician/Coordinator SPD Director Educator
Surgical Instrument Technician
CMDRT – Cert Medical Device Reprocessing Tech OR Liaison Other
of a Director. This is problematic when they don’t get compensated for that higher level work and don’t have that higher level title or pay grade to carry onto their next employer.”
Damien Berg, BA, BS, CRCST, AAMIF,
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), said he sees an upswing in the SPD pro- fession on many levels across the U.S. but adding “that doesn’t mean we are where we need or deserve to be.” He stated:
“Over the years, we have seen so many challenges and staffing/pay/recognition have always been high on the list of concerns voiced by our professionals; however, we continue to fight, lead and work with our leadership to make these challenges better and not just talking points.” “I will always be that positive warrior for change, and that change happens through action,” Berg added. “When we are feeling all the pressures and not feeling appreci- ated, and even when we are understaffed and underpaid, we must not only show up but prove our value and worth. That is when we will start to see sustaining, positive change. It will be teamwork, education and documenta- tion that will open doors for our profession.”
Damien Berg
The impact of education and location on SPD salaries As in past years, the higher the level of education reported by SPD professionals, the higher the annual average salary. Those with post graduate degrees (2% of respon- dents) reported taking home an average of $92,289 per year, this was down from $103,384 in 2022.
SPD professionals who had earned bache- lor’s degrees (13% of respondents) reported
25% 15% 11% 12%
$88,210 $61,267 $39,321 $52,566
9% $140,674 4% 8%
14%
$64,586 $57,034
-1% $44,485 1%
$51,345 n/a
High School
an average annual salary of $76,074, down from $81,354 last year. Among respondents with associate degrees (26% of respon- dents), average salary was $59,245, down from $66,519 in 2022. SPD professionals with high school as their highest level of education reported annual average pay of $57,234, up from $56,310 last year. Looking at the demographic data, there were fewer survey respondents reporting a high school level education compared with last year (32% down from 46% in 2022). Geography played a role in compensation once again in 2023, with each region show- ing pay increases over 2022. SPD profession- als from the Pacific states had an average annual salary of $91,268 (up from $86,916), the Northeastern states $73,190 (up from $70,000), Mountain states $69,754 (up from $67,148), Central states $64,278 (up from $62,974), and Southeastern states $55,643 (up from $53,541). SPD professionals in urban areas (41% of respondents) reported the highest aver- age annual pay in 2023 at $75,123 (up from $73,224), followed by those in the suburbs (35% of respondents) at $72,093 (up from $68,500), and rural areas (24% of respon- dents) at $58,821 (up from $53,075). With regards to facility type, SPD pro-
fessionals working for IDN/alliance/ multi-group institutions earned the high- est at $93,120 annually (up from $89,148), followed by teaching hospitals at $82,564 (up from $79,535), standalone hospitals at $60,290 (up from $58,070) and surgicen- ters/ambulatory centers at $51,234 (up from $52,261).
SPD feeling secure, but are staffing shortages behind it? The survey findings indicated that SPD professionals are feeling more secure in their jobs, with 94% feeling “very or some- what secure,” compared with 85% in 2022.
FEMALE
Associate’s Degree(s) 26% $59,245 Bachelor’s Degree(s) Post-Graduate
High School
Associate’s Degree(s) Bachelor’s Degree(s) Post-Graduate
32% $57,234 13% $63,230
2% $92,289 MALE
13% $58,123 5% $100,123 5% $119,232 4% $123,143
SALARY BY CERTIFICATION Already certified
In the process of obtaining certification 5% $60,254 Considering certification Not certified
92% $69,120 2%
1%
$50,125 $59,129
hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • June 2022 35
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