Sterile Services Technician

As a Sterile Services Technician you are responsible for the decontamination, sterilisation, and repackaging of surgical instruments and medical devices used throughout a hospital or clinical setting. Working primarily in a Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), you dismantle, clean, inspect, reassemble, and package complex medical equipment using specialist autoclaves and washer-disinfectors. You follow strict infection control protocols and comply with relevant health and safety legislation to ensure that every item returned to clinical use is safe and fit for purpose. You work closely with theatre staff, surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, responding to requests from operating departments and wards. Attention to detail and precise record-keeping are central to the role, as full traceability of every instrument set is required.

Entry into sterile services typically requires a Leaving Certificate or equivalent, with Biology and Chemistry at any level being particularly useful as background preparation. Most technicians in Ireland enter through on-the-job training combined with a QQI Level 5 or Level 6 award in Healthcare Support or Decontamination Services, often delivered through a College of Further Education or in-house hospital training programmes. Some hospitals provide structured induction and competency programmes aligned with national and HSE decontamination standards, which new staff complete during their probationary period. The HSE and individual hospital groups set internal competency requirements, and technicians are expected to keep up to date with standards issued by bodies such as the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). While there is no single statutory professional register for this role in Ireland at present, adherence to national decontamination guidelines and ongoing training are essential requirements for practice.