Sterile processing technician screening questions: state certification, decontam and sterilizer monitoring
On this page
- Which department, which shift
- State certification laws
- Certification knockout questions
- Decontamination questions
- Inspection, assembly and classification questions
- Sterilization and monitoring questions
- How sterile processing experience gets overstated
- Knockout checklist and scoring
- Lawful phrasing
- Questions people ask
Sterile processing technician screening questions should start with certification, because several states require it by law within a set time after hire, and then test the work in the order instruments move: decontamination, inspection and assembly, sterilization and its monitoring, and storage and distribution. Strong technicians talk about manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), indicators and documentation without being asked. Weak ones talk about "running the machines".
This page covers the sterile processing department (SPD), sometimes called central service or central sterile. For the people who use the trays in the operating room, see surgical technologist screening questions; for laboratory roles, medical lab scientist screening questions.
Which department, which shift
| Setting | What changes | Ask the candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital SPD, high case volume | Trauma and add-on cases, loaner trays, evening and night shifts, case carts | "How many ORs did your department support, and which shift did you work?" |
| Ambulatory surgery center | Smaller team, technician may do everything from decontam to case carts | "Which steps did you do yourself on a normal day?" |
| Endoscopy or GI reprocessing | High-level disinfection of flexible scopes, leak testing, automated endoscope reprocessors | "Which scopes, and which reprocessor?" |
| Lead or coordinator | Scheduling, quality checks, education, recall handling | "Who reported to you, and what did you audit?" |
State certification laws
As of October 2026, not legal advice. The Healthcare Sterile Processing Association lists Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee as requiring certification to work in sterile processing, with other states considering legislation. We checked the three below against the law's text; confirm the current rule for the job's state.
| State | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New York | A central service technician in a general hospital or hospital-based ambulatory surgery setting must hold the CRCST, the CSPDT or a substantially equivalent credential. New hires without grandfathered experience have 18 months from hire to obtain it, and qualified technicians complete 10 hours of continuing education a year. Students under direct supervision are exempt. | Public Health Law § 2824 |
| Tennessee | Central service technicians in hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers must hold one of the named credentials or obtain one within two years of hire, then complete at least 10 hours of continuing education a year. Licensed providers and surgical technologists working in their scope are exempt. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-11-239, text via HSPA's law library |
| New Jersey | Hospital regulations require all sterile processing personnel to be certified through a nationally recognized program within three years of employment, and the department director or supervisor to be certified with two years of supervisory experience. | N.J.A.C. 8:43G-8, text via HSPA's law library |
The timeline matters for placement. A new technician in New York has 18 months, in Tennessee two years, so the client may hire an uncertified candidate with a plan; in other states there may be no legal requirement but the client may still require certification at hire. Ask both questions.
Certification knockout questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| Which certification do you hold, CRCST or CSPDT, and when does it renew? | Names it and the renewal date. HSPA's CRCST renews yearly with 12 continuing education credits; CBSPD runs the technician exam behind the CSPDT. | "Certified in sterile processing" with no credential name. |
| Are you fully certified or provisionally certified? | Honest. HSPA requires 400 hours of hands-on experience; candidates who test first have six months to document the hours and are provisionally certified meanwhile. | Claims full certification while still collecting hours. |
| For uncertified candidates: the state and client require certification within [period]. What is your plan? | A course, a study plan, an exam date, or a facility where they are earning hours. | No plan, for a role with a firm deadline. |
| The shift is [days, hours, rotating weekends and holidays, on-call]. Can you work it? | Yes, or a stated limit. | Avoids the question until offer stage. |
Decontamination questions
-
"A case cart comes down from the OR. Walk me through what happens to the instruments."
- Strong answer: point-of-use treatment should have kept them moist; full PPE in decontam; sorts and disassembles; follows each device's IFU for manual cleaning (brushes, lumens flushed, enzymatic solution at the right dilution and temperature), then the washer or ultrasonic as the IFU allows.
- Red flags: everything goes straight into the washer; no mention of IFUs or lumens.
-
"How do you find the IFU for an instrument you haven't seen before?"
- Strong answer: the department's IFU database or the manufacturer, and asks the lead before guessing. Loaner trays come with their own instructions.
- Red flags: "Process it like the similar one."
-
"What PPE do you wear in decontamination?"
- Strong answer: fluid-resistant gown, gloves, face and eye protection, head and shoe covers, per department policy.
- Red flags: gloves only.
Inspection, assembly and classification questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| How do you inspect a tray before assembly? | Checks cleanliness under lighted magnification, function (hinges, jaws, ratchets, insulation on electrosurgical instruments), and pulls damaged items for repair. | Counts the instruments and wraps. |
| What is the difference between critical, semicritical and noncritical items? | The Spaulding classification described by CDC: critical items such as surgical instruments and implants need sterilization; semicritical items that touch mucous membranes, such as some endoscopes, need at least high-level disinfection; noncritical items need low-level disinfection. | Unfamiliar with the terms after a year in SPD. |
| A tray is missing an instrument. What do you do? | Follows the policy: searches, substitutes per the count sheet rules, documents and notifies the OR, never sends it without a note. | Sends it short without telling anyone. |
Sterilization and monitoring questions
CDC's sterilizing practices guidance gives checkable answers (as of October 2026). Department policies and standards may require more.
| Question | Answer in line with CDC guidance | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| When do you run a Bowie-Dick test? | Daily, in an empty prevacuum (dynamic-air-removal) steam sterilizer, at the time department policy sets. | "Weekly," or never heard of it on a prevacuum unit. |
| How often do you run biological indicators? | At least weekly for steam and low-temperature sterilizers; daily is better when the sterilizer runs several loads a day; every load that contains implants. | Only when something goes wrong. |
| A load with an implant is done but the BI result is not back. Can it go to the OR? | If feasible, implants are quarantined until the spore test is negative; any early release follows the facility's documented emergency release process. | Releases it because the case is waiting. |
| What do you check when you unload a sterilizer? | The printout or physical parameters, external and internal chemical indicators, package integrity, and wet packs, which are not released. | Unloads straight to storage. |
| What happens after a positive BI? | Tells the supervisor at once and follows the written positive-BI procedure: reviews the mechanical and chemical indicators, retests, and recalls loads as policy requires. CDC treats implants and non-steam methods more conservatively. | Reruns the BI and says nothing. |
How sterile processing experience gets overstated
- Provisional status described as certified. Ask how many hands-on hours they have documented.
- One area described as the whole department. Some technicians work only assembly or only case carts. Ask what share of a week they spent in decontam.
- Endoscope reprocessing claimed from watching. Ask which scope models and which leak test.
- Lead titles with no audit, education or scheduling duties.
Knockout checklist and scoring
Pass or fail
- Holds CRCST or CSPDT, or can meet the state and client deadline.
- Can work the shift, weekends and on-call.
- Has worked in the setting the client needs (hospital, ASC, GI).
Scored 0 to 2 each (10 possible)
- Decontamination follows IFUs and covers lumens and PPE.
- Inspection uses magnification and function checks.
- Monitoring: Bowie-Dick, BIs and chemical indicators correct.
- Implant quarantine and recall handled correctly.
- Documentation and communication with the OR.
Write the certification number and renewal date into the submittal; the client will verify it. For the general call structure, see phone screen questions for recruiters.
Lawful phrasing
Describe the physical demands (standing, lifting trays, heat and humidity in decontam) and ask whether the candidate can meet them with or without accommodation. Vaccination records, health screening and drug tests come after a conditional offer under the client's process; see pre-employment medical exams and the ADA. Do not ask about age, pregnancy or family when discussing nights or on-call.
Questions people ask
Which states require sterile processing technicians to be certified?
As of October 2026, the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association lists Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee as requiring certification. The rules differ: New York allows 18 months from hire, Tennessee two years, and New Jersey's hospital regulation three years. Check the current law for the job's state.
What is the difference between CRCST and CSPDT?
CRCST is the Certified Registered Central Service Technician credential from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (formerly IAHCSMM). CSPDT is the Certified Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician credential from the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD). State laws such as New York's and Tennessee's name both.
Can someone take the CRCST exam before finishing 400 hands-on hours?
Yes. HSPA says the 400 hours of hands-on experience are mandatory, but candidates may test first and then submit documentation of the hours within six months, during which they are considered provisionally certified. Ask a provisional candidate how many hours they have left and where they are completing them.
How often should a prevacuum steam sterilizer get a Bowie-Dick test?
CDC's guideline says an air-removal (Bowie-Dick) test must be performed daily in an empty dynamic-air-removal sterilizer, such as a prevacuum steam sterilizer. A candidate who has run one should describe this without prompting.