Medical Equipment Preparers
Also called: Central Sterile Technician (Central Sterile Tech), CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician), CSS Technician (Central Sterile Supply Technician), CST (Central Service Technician)Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 10.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare support workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 94% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $35,800 | $31,920 to $38,600 | 1,000 |
| Alaska | $49,920 | $48,520 to $61,490 | 220 |
| Arizona | $46,790 | $38,380 to $53,540 | 2,320 |
| Arkansas | $38,100 | $35,330 to $47,040 | 320 |
| California | $61,370 | $49,650 to $77,660 | 8,720 |
| Colorado | $47,700 | $39,520 to $58,260 | 1,950 |
| Connecticut | $47,980 | $40,320 to $58,950 | 1,060 |
| Delaware | $53,300 | $49,870 to $58,460 | 190 |
| District of Columbia | $48,670 | $46,840 to $60,380 | 310 |
| Florida | $45,890 | $38,520 to $50,180 | 5,250 |
| Georgia | $47,850 | $40,490 to $58,870 | 1,860 |
| Hawaii | $51,630 | $49,600 to $58,700 | 220 |
| Idaho | $46,450 | $38,640 to $58,340 | 580 |
| Illinois | $48,050 | $44,370 to $56,780 | 2,800 |
| Indiana | $45,210 | $38,430 to $48,320 | 1,750 |
| Iowa | $39,930 | $38,850 to $47,340 | 590 |
| Kansas | $45,280 | $37,240 to $51,610 | 740 |
| Kentucky | $46,880 | $38,960 to $56,410 | 1,120 |
| Louisiana | $35,960 | $30,470 to $41,500 | 620 |
| Maine | $46,860 | $39,630 to $49,070 | 510 |
| Maryland | $48,680 | $40,360 to $57,040 | 1,160 |
| Massachusetts | $58,580 | $48,650 to $63,710 | 1,900 |
| Michigan | $45,670 | $39,760 to $49,690 | 2,420 |
| Minnesota | $50,070 | $46,330 to $58,790 | 1,390 |
| Mississippi | $35,160 | $31,560 to $40,930 | 350 |
| Missouri | $43,480 | $37,720 to $48,110 | 1,970 |
| Montana | $44,670 | $38,990 to $48,660 | 330 |
| Nebraska | $41,480 | $38,280 to $48,830 | 550 |
| Nevada | $46,640 | $41,600 to $51,520 | 510 |
| New Hampshire | $48,900 | $45,430 to $58,460 | 380 |
| New Jersey | $50,280 | $48,060 to $60,260 | 2,440 |
| New Mexico | $36,720 | $34,740 to $46,770 | 300 |
| New York | $57,320 | $46,890 to $62,250 | 5,190 |
| North Carolina | $45,130 | $39,250 to $48,770 | 2,900 |
| North Dakota | $38,910 | $38,100 to $48,040 | 350 |
| Ohio | $45,540 | $38,560 to $49,190 | 3,210 |
| Oklahoma | $43,460 | $36,790 to $49,590 | 690 |
| Oregon | $48,890 | $42,810 to $59,840 | 1,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,820 | $39,710 to $50,040 | 3,450 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,310 | $24,560 to $34,130 | 140 |
| Rhode Island | $51,460 | $47,580 to $59,610 | 190 |
| South Carolina | $42,510 | $37,120 to $48,720 | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | $42,330 | $38,910 to $47,120 | 480 |
| Tennessee | $46,990 | $37,100 to $55,730 | 1,590 |
| Texas | $46,970 | $38,120 to $58,400 | 4,520 |
| Utah | $47,980 | $41,800 to $58,040 | 600 |
| Vermont | $48,990 | $47,190 to $60,370 | 140 |
| Virginia | $46,580 | $38,890 to $50,600 | 1,840 |
| Washington | $58,830 | $47,440 to $63,700 | 1,670 |
| West Virginia | $44,830 | $36,820 to $46,490 | 530 |
| Wisconsin | $47,570 | $44,350 to $50,160 | 1,380 |
| Wyoming | $48,210 | $40,360 to $56,390 | 120 |
Nationally: $47,700. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair. | Not published |
| Not much | Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| AI + software | Record sterilizer test results. | Not published |
| Not much | Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend hospital in-service programs related to areas of work specialization. | Not published |
| Not much | Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers. | Not published |
| Not much | Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock crash carts or other medical supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Deliver equipment to specified hospital locations or to patients' residences. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist hospital staff with patient care duties, such as providing transportation or setting up traction. | Not published |
| Not much | Install and set up medical equipment, using hand tools. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment |
Show all 13 activities
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for medical equipment preparers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 15,507 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 3%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 14,567 moves in
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 6%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 44% high school
- 31% postsecondary certificate
- 4% some college
- 4% associate's
- 15% bachelor's
- 2% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 28 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 27% high school
- 28% some college
- 16% associate's
- 17% bachelor's
- 6% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare support workers” · 1,832 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare support workers”
1 program: Sterile Processing Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
28.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 24.7% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 1.4% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (CENTRAL STERILE PROCESSING TECHNICIAN; Central Sterile Processing Technician; Sterile Supply Technician). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Medical Equipment Preparers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-9093.00