Sterile Processing Technician
Posted Sep 14, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time you found a processing error. How did you handle it and who did you tell?
What they are checking: Willingness to report errors and follow procedure, which the posting names directly.
How do you stay focused and accurate on repetitive work over a full shift?
What they are checking: Self-awareness about attention and habits, since small lapses in this work can harm a patient.
What would you do
You open a tray during assembly and find bioburden left on an instrument. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they send it back through decontamination instead of wiping it and moving on to save time.
The OR needs a tray back fast for the next case. What can you speed up and what can you never skip?
What they are checking: Whether they protect patient safety steps under pressure from surgery to turn trays faster.
About the work
Walk me through the steps an instrument tray goes through from the OR back to sterile storage.
What they are checking: Whether they know the full cycle of decontamination, inspection, assembly, packaging and sterilization in order.
How do you know a sterilization load was successful?
What they are checking: Understanding of physical, chemical and biological indicators and what to do when one fails.
How do you protect yourself when working in decontamination?
What they are checking: Knowledge of PPE and infection prevention, which protects both the tech and future patients.
How do you use instrument tracking or inventory systems in your work?
What they are checking: Comfort with the systems that track trays and supplies across the health system.
What certification do you hold or are working toward, and what did you learn from it that you use every day?
What they are checking: Commitment to the certification the role requires and whether the knowledge stuck.
How do you know which instruments go in a tray when you are assembling one you have never built before?
What they are checking: Use of count sheets and references and the habit of asking instead of guessing.
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As published by Sanford Health.