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Responsibilities
- Serves as the primary technical and workflow lead for the Sterile Processing team, ensuring timely and accurate decontamination, inspection, assembly, sterilization, and distribution of surgical instruments and equipment.
- Provides technical expertise, troubleshooting assistance, and mentoring to Sterile Processing Technicians; promotes a culture of safety, accuracy, and accountability.
- Promotes and maintains compliance with infection prevention, regulatory, and safety standards; promptly reports and addresses any safety or quality concerns.
- Conducts quality checks, audits, and documentation reviews to ensure compliance with hospital policies, equipment manufacturer IFUs, and regulatory standards (AAMI, AORN, CDC, Joint Commission, DNV, OSHA).
- Monitors inventory of instruments, supplies, and equipment; assists in ordering, receiving, and storage to ensure operational readiness.
- Monitor sterilization cycles and conduct biological and chemical testing to verify the efficacy of sterilization processes.
- Monitors daily workload and adjusts staff assignments to maintain workflow efficiency and meet surgical case demands.
- Assists with scheduling, timekeeping, and staffing coverage in coordination with department leadership.
- Participates in training, competency validation, and ongoing education for new and existing staff; may serve as a preceptor after completing required training.
- Assists in the development, review, and implementation of departmental policies, procedures, and process improvements.
- Participates in interdisciplinary and quality improvement meetings to enhance patient safety, efficiency, and service excellence.
- Collaborates with Operating Room, Nursing, and other clinical departments to ensure the availability, completeness, and readiness of surgical instruments and equipment.
- Supports implementation, use, and maintenance of instrument tracking and management systems to optimize accuracy and traceability.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Five (5) years of experience as a sterile processing technician in a healthcare setting.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational, and problem-solving skills; maintains accuracy in a high-volume environment.
- Ability to organize workflow, delegate assignments, and provide training under time-sensitive conditions.
- Effective communication and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, materials management, vendors, and clinical departments.
- Expert knowledge of sterilization methods, including the inspection of surgical instruments and medical equipment.
- High competence with instrument tracking, documentation systems, and Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to serve as a preceptor and a mentor by fostering teaching environment. Position eligible for preceptor premium pay with completion of preceptor education and leader approval.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) is a nationally recognized, top-tier public research university that unites the power of higher education, biomedical discovery and healthcare within one visionary institution. As the third-largest research university in Texas and a Carnegie R1-designated institution, UT San Antonio is a model of access and excellence — advancing knowledge, social mobility and public health across South Texas and beyond. UT San Antonio serves approximately 42,000 students in 320 academic programs spanning science, engineering, medicine, health, liberal arts, AI, cybersecurity, business, education and more. With 17,000 faculty and staff, UT San Antonio has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers for Company Culture.Â
Benefits Overview
UT Health San Antonio offers an excellent benefits package for its employees. Employees who work at least 20 hours a week, with an appointment of at least 4.5 months, are eligible for benefits.Â
Medical - UT SELECT Medical insurance is offered free for employees and administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Family members can be added to the plan through payroll deduction. Employees and their dependents can also receive discounted copays and coinsurance when using UT Health Physicians, a network of 800 premier physicians including more than 100 specialists. Employees receive $50,000 of group term life insurance and $50,000 of basic accidental death and dismemberment insurance for free, with options to purchase additional employee and dependent coverage for both at group rates.
Dental - Three dental insurance plan options are available for employees and their families through Delta Dental Insurance Company, two PPOs and one dental HMO plan. Both PPO plans allow employees to choose any licensed dentist.Â
Vision - Fully insured Vision Care benefits are offered by Superior Vision Services. Two vision plan options that offer either standard or enhanced vision benefits.
Disability - Employees can enroll in the Disability Insurance which provides income if a non-work related illness or injury prevents you from working.
FSAs - Employees can enroll in flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to set aside money from earnings before taxes for qualifying dependent day care expenses or out-of-pocket health care expenses.Â
Retirement - Employees are eligible for either the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). TRS is a defined benefit retirement plan which UT Health matches employee contributions. ORP is for eligible faculty staff employees. Voluntary retirement programs are also available to invest before- or after-tax dollars with the choice of five quality retirement plan providers.Â
Time Off - A generous leave program offers multiple paid leave options:
- Front-loaded Paid Time Off: 128 to 208 hours (16 to 26 days) of Paid Time Off based on years of service, given at the start of each fiscal year. PTO may be prorated in year one based on date of hire.
- Extended Illness Bank: 8 hours (1 day) accrued per month which can be used for illness or injury after one day of Paid Time Off is taken.
- Paid Family Leave: Up to 240 hours (6 weeks) to care for a spouse, child, or parent after 6 months of consecutive employment.
- Holidays: 12 set paid holidays each year.
Discounts - Employees enjoy a range of discounts on services, tickets, and gym membership.
EEO Statement
UT Health San Antonio is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. It is our policy to promote and ensure equal employment opportunity for all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
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