Medical Equipment Preparers
Also called: Aseptic Technician (Aseptic Tech), Central Sterile Processing Technician (Central Sterile Processing Tech), Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech), Central Sterilization Technician (Central Sterilization Tech), Central Supply Processing Department Technician (CSPDT), Central Supply Technician (Central Supply Tech), Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST), CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician)
Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment.
What medical equipment preparers do
Typical tasks
- 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- Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.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.
- Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low.
- Attend hospital in-service programs related to areas of work specialization.
- Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff.
- Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Medical Equipment Preparers salary
The median annual wage for medical equipment preparers is $47,700 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $36,410 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $69,950. The mean annual wage is $50,510.
The mean hourly wage of $24.00 is 3.3× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Medical Equipment Preparers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $47,700 → in 3 years $52,800 → in 5 years $56,400 → in 10 years $66,700 (10-year range $57,400–$77,500). The model assumes pay growth of +3.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Medical Equipment Preparers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Medical Equipment Preparers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Medical Equipment Preparers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Medical Equipment Preparers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become medical equipment preparers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as medical equipment preparers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.