Sterile Processing

This program at Houston City College use a selective admissions process and requires an additional application beyond applying. Enrollment is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be offered placement. Please review the admission dates below carefully to ensure you complete all required steps by the required deadlines.

Learn more about the program by attending an information session.

Register to attend an in-person information session

Cumulative GPA

N/A

Prerequisite Courses

N/A

Recommended Courses

HPRS 1201, HITT 1305 OR MDCA 1313, and ENGL 1301

Academic Courses

N/A

Testing

N/A

If You Are Offered Admission

If you are offered admission, you will need to complete the following pre-enrollment requirements by a specific due date to maintain eligible status:

• Complete the Intent Form by the deadline stated in the admission acceptance offer email. The Intent form is within your online application, and a link will be sent in your admission acceptance offer email.
• Proof of personal health insurance
• The CPR American Heart Association BLS is required.
• Passing a drug screen
• Physical examination
• Immunization record showing (Monitored By Complio: houstoncccompliance.com): Completion of Hepatitis B immunization series (may take up to 6 months) and titer, MMR – 2 shots and titer, Tdap – every 10 years, TB – every year, Varicella – 2 shots and titer, Meningitis (required for students 22 years or younger), and Influenza – after September 1st
• Cleared Criminal
• Complete the mandatory Student Services Orientation and Program Orientation on the date provided in your admission email. (Please clear your calendar so you are available to attend the mandatory orientations if you are offered admission as follows: Fall Term – plan to attend in August; Spring Term – plan to attend in December.)

Clinical Requirements for Program Progression & Completion

To provide students with the most robust clinical educational experience and to ensure that students’ progress and graduate as scheduled, applicants are strongly encouraged to weigh all options before accepting a conditional acceptance into their desired health science program. To facilitate this decision-making, students should understand all the requirements of their program, including clinical education.

To be placed in a clinical educational experience, students must comply with the guidelines and requirements of HCC clinical sites, including health and wellness directives. Most clinical sites require background checks, health testing, drug screens, and immunizations.

Students are required to provide proof to HCC that they meet all immunization, testing, and other health requirements necessary for clinical placement. These requirements are determined by the healthcare facilities with which HCC partners for clinical education.

Many healthcare facilities require specific immunizations as a condition of employment, volunteering, or student clinical placement. If a student chooses not to receive or provide proof of required immunizations, HCC may be unable to place the student in clinical rotations. HCC will make reasonable efforts to place such students in a clinical site that does not require immunization(s), provided an appropriate site is available, and HCC has an active affiliation agreement that meets the necessary conditions to support the student’s learning outcomes. Though HCC cannot guarantee that such sites will be available at the time clinical placement is needed.

If a student cannot be placed in a qualifying clinical site due to unmet immunization requirements, the student’s progression in the program and ability to graduate may be delayed or prevented. Our affiliate partners’ expectations for student trainees reflect the same standards applied to individuals employed in their respective professional settings.

Students with questions about clinical requirements or placement should contact the program director of their program of interest.

HB 1508 requires the following information be given to students:

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. For more information please visit:  HB 1508 Licensing Requirements.

Certification Testing
Graduates are eligible to take the Certified Registered Central Service Technician

Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) [formerly the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM)]

International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM), 55 West Wacker Drive, Suite 501, Chicago, IL 60601

Employment Opportunities
Certified Registered Central Service Technician may find employment as a sterile processing technician in hospital operating rooms, delivery rooms, ambulatory care facilities and central supply departments

Average Salary
Entry-level salary range between $30,000 and $48,000 annually. Find out the entry-level wages, the medium wages, and the high wages for each career field in High School or less, Vocational Certificate, Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree and Graduate degree.