Contact your local hospital, emergency room, or a medical office and find out about volunteer opportunities. Spending time there will give you an idea about the field of medicine that interests you most and if it's an environment you would like.

Volunteer at a local hospital, emergency room, or medical office.

Empathy is an integral part of our human nature. It is a skill ingrained in us, but it can also be learned and improved upon. Explore ways to develop your empathy and be more successful in life.

Watch a TED Talk about empathy.

Think about the last time you were at a doctor or dentist's office--what made you nervous? What made you feel better? Is helping people through an experience like this something you'd like to do?

Picture working in a medical office.

Sterilization is a vital part of medical equipment preparation. Learn more about sterilization to gauge if this is something you might be interested in.

Learn more about sterile processing.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Medical Equipment Preparers

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Miscellaneous Healthcare Support Occupations

Healthcare Support Occupations

Other Healthcare Support Occupations

Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.

Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.

Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.

Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.

Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff.

Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low.

Stock crash carts or other medical supplies.

Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards.

Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.

eClinicalWorks EHR software

MEDITECH software

Microsoft PowerPoint

Email software

Microsoft Outlook

Database software

Microsoft SharePoint Server

Calendar software

McKesson ANSOS One-Staff

Inventory tracking software

Pyxis MedStation software

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft Word

Ethylene oxide gas sterilizers

Gas sterilizers

Paracetic acid sterilizers

Plasma gas sterilizers

Pressure steam autoclaves

Steam gravity sterilizers

Steam high vacuum sterilizers

Sterilizers

Bar code scanners

Equipment bar code readers

Bowie Dick test packs

Computerized scope washers

Protective medical aprons

Temperature tracing and recording thermometers

Hot air sterilizers

Protective gowns

Medical examination protective gloves

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Every day

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?

Once a week or more but not every day

How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Extremely important

Very important

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

How much does this job require making repetitive motions?

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

About half the time

How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?

Medical Equipment Preparers

Overview

Career

What Medical Equipment Preparers Do

Other Job Titles Medical Equipment Preparers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Medical Equipment Preparers

Overview

Career

What Medical Equipment Preparers Do

Other Job Titles Medical Equipment Preparers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Medical Equipment Preparers

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders