H-1B Visa Sterile Processing Tech Jobs
Sterile Processing Techs who hold or need H-1B visa sponsorship can qualify as specialty occupation workers when the role requires a formal credential like CRCST certification backed by relevant coursework. Hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and integrated health systems are the most active H-1B sponsors for this role.
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Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Sterile Processing is looking for a dedicated Sterile Processing Tech 1 to join the Team. This full-time role will be evening-shift working 2:00pm – 10:30pm Monday – Friday with every other weekend located in Fairfax, VA. The Sterile Processing Tech 1 assembles instrumentation accurately and efficiently. Ensures sterility of all processed items. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner. Manages instrument inventory and ensures timely distribution of instruments to all customers. Understands basic computer functions to assist in documentation and tracking of inventory. Inova is consistently ranked a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience. We are also proud to be consistently recognized as a top employer in both the D.C. metro area and the nation.
Featured Benefits
- Committed to Team Member Health: offering medical, dental and vision coverage, and a robust team member wellness program.
- Retirement: Inova matches the first 5% of eligible contributions – starting on your first day.
- Tuition and Student Loan Assistance: offering up to $5,250 per year in education assistance and up to $10,000 for student loans.
- Mental Health Support: offering all Inova team members, their spouses/partners, and their children 25 mental health coaching or therapy sessions, per person, per year, at no cost.
- Work/Life Balance: offering paid time off, paid parental leave, flexible work schedules.
Sterile Processing Tech 1 Responsibilities
- Inspects instruments and ensures that they are free from bio-burden and in proper working condition prior to assembling sets according to count sheets. Locates missing instrumentation and replaces repaired/ordered instrumentation in sets. Maintains stock levels in the assembly area. Loads items to be sterilized on the loading cart and records them on the load card, adding a biological test to each load. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions in the instrument assembly area.
- Selects the proper mode of sterilization for all items.
- Ensures the presence of all required chemical and biological indicators.
- Operates all sterilization equipment (Steam, Sterrad, Steris). Validates sterilization process by reading, interpreting, and documenting all chemical and biological indicators. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions related to sterilization. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner.
- Unloads case carts, checking all items for red tags. Properly sorts instrumentation and selects the proper processing mechanisms (manual and mechanical) to ensure the integrity of and prevent damage to the items.
- Prepares instrumentation for the decontamination process, including flushing lumens, exposing all surfaces and properly loading washers. Operates washer/decontaminates, cart washers, sonic washer, and all other equipment in the decontamination area. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions in the decontamination area. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner.
- Manages instrument inventory and assures timely distribution of instruments to all customers. Maintains par levels of all individual items, instrument sets, procedure trays, and MSET boxes.
- Properly stores or distributes items assuring that each item has been properly labeled and sterilized.
- Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions related to storage and distribution.
- May perform additional duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: High School or GED
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous sterile processing experience preferred.
- Medical/hospital experience preferred.
About us
We are Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Every day, our 26,000+ team members provide world-class healthcare to the communities we serve. Our people are the reason we're a national leader in healthcare safety, quality and patient experience. And from best-in-class facilities to professional development opportunities, we support them at every step. At Inova, we're constantly striving to be ever better — to shape a more compassionate future for healthcare.
Inova Health is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by law.
Job Description
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Sterile Processing is looking for a dedicated Sterile Processing Tech 1 to join the Team. This full-time role will be evening-shift working 2:00pm – 10:30pm Monday – Friday with every other weekend located in Fairfax, VA. The Sterile Processing Tech 1 assembles instrumentation accurately and efficiently. Ensures sterility of all processed items. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner. Manages instrument inventory and ensures timely distribution of instruments to all customers. Understands basic computer functions to assist in documentation and tracking of inventory. Inova is consistently ranked a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience. We are also proud to be consistently recognized as a top employer in both the D.C. metro area and the nation.
Featured Benefits
- Committed to Team Member Health: offering medical, dental and vision coverage, and a robust team member wellness program.
- Retirement: Inova matches the first 5% of eligible contributions – starting on your first day.
- Tuition and Student Loan Assistance: offering up to $5,250 per year in education assistance and up to $10,000 for student loans.
- Mental Health Support: offering all Inova team members, their spouses/partners, and their children 25 mental health coaching or therapy sessions, per person, per year, at no cost.
- Work/Life Balance: offering paid time off, paid parental leave, flexible work schedules.
Sterile Processing Tech 1 Responsibilities
- Inspects instruments and ensures that they are free from bio-burden and in proper working condition prior to assembling sets according to count sheets. Locates missing instrumentation and replaces repaired/ordered instrumentation in sets. Maintains stock levels in the assembly area. Loads items to be sterilized on the loading cart and records them on the load card, adding a biological test to each load. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions in the instrument assembly area.
- Selects the proper mode of sterilization for all items.
- Ensures the presence of all required chemical and biological indicators.
- Operates all sterilization equipment (Steam, Sterrad, Steris). Validates sterilization process by reading, interpreting, and documenting all chemical and biological indicators. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions related to sterilization. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner.
- Unloads case carts, checking all items for red tags. Properly sorts instrumentation and selects the proper processing mechanisms (manual and mechanical) to ensure the integrity of and prevent damage to the items.
- Prepares instrumentation for the decontamination process, including flushing lumens, exposing all surfaces and properly loading washers. Operates washer/decontaminates, cart washers, sonic washer, and all other equipment in the decontamination area. Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions in the decontamination area. Decontaminates instruments in a safe and appropriate manner.
- Manages instrument inventory and assures timely distribution of instruments to all customers. Maintains par levels of all individual items, instrument sets, procedure trays, and MSET boxes.
- Properly stores or distributes items assuring that each item has been properly labeled and sterilized.
- Utilizes instrument tracking computer software to document all functions related to storage and distribution.
- May perform additional duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: High School or GED
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous sterile processing experience preferred.
- Medical/hospital experience preferred.
About us
We are Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Every day, our 26,000+ team members provide world-class healthcare to the communities we serve. Our people are the reason we're a national leader in healthcare safety, quality and patient experience. And from best-in-class facilities to professional development opportunities, we support them at every step. At Inova, we're constantly striving to be ever better — to shape a more compassionate future for healthcare.
Inova Health is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by law.
See all 344+ H-1B Visa Sterile Processing Tech Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Sterile Processing Tech
Verify your CRCST credential meets specialty occupation
USCIS requires that an H-1B role normally demands at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. For sterile processing, pair your CRCST with documented healthcare science coursework to build the specialty occupation argument your employer's attorney will need.
Target hospital systems with SPD departments
Ambulatory clinics rarely file H-1Bs for sterile processing roles. Focus on large hospital networks and academic medical centers, where central sterile departments are staffed at scale and HR teams are already familiar with the sponsorship process.
Search LCA filings on Migrate Mate by occupation code
Use Migrate Mate to filter employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for sterile processing or surgical tech roles. LCA history shows which facilities have actually sponsored similar positions, not just which ones say they're open to it.
Confirm the prevailing wage tier before accepting an offer
Your employer must pay at least the DOL prevailing wage for your job zone and location. Run your job title and ZIP code through the OFLC Wage Search before signing an offer to confirm the salary meets the Level I or Level II threshold for your area.
Ask HR about cap-exempt status during your interview
Nonprofit hospitals and certain research-affiliated health systems may qualify as cap-exempt H-1B employers, letting them file outside the annual lottery. Confirming this early tells you whether you need to plan around an April registration window.
File Form I-129 before your OPT or grace period ends
If you're transitioning from OPT or another status, your employer must file the H-1B petition before your current authorization expires. The 60-day grace period after job loss doesn't extend filing deadlines, so coordinate the timeline with USCIS requirements from day one.
H-1B Visa Sterile Processing Tech: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Sterile Processing Tech role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
It can, but the argument requires documentation. USCIS looks for evidence that the position normally requires a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specific field like healthcare sciences or biology. Pairing a CRCST certification with relevant college-level coursework and a well-drafted job description strengthens the specialty occupation case significantly.
Which employers are most likely to sponsor H-1B visas for sterile processing roles?
Large hospital networks, academic medical centers, and integrated health systems with dedicated central sterile departments are the most active sponsors. Smaller outpatient clinics and surgery centers rarely go through the H-1B process for this role. You can filter by LCA filing history on Migrate Mate to identify facilities that have sponsored comparable positions.
How does the H-1B lottery affect my job search timeline as a sterile processing candidate?
Unless your employer qualifies as cap-exempt, your petition enters USCIS's annual lottery with registration opening in March. If selected, employment can begin October 1 of that fiscal year. Planning your job search to have an offer secured well before March gives your employer time to prepare the LCA and petition documents.
What documentation does my employer need to file an H-1B for a sterile processing position?
Your employer needs a certified Labor Condition Application from DOL, your educational credentials and any equivalency evaluations, your CRCST or equivalent certification, and a detailed job description establishing specialty occupation. If your degree is from outside the U.S., a credential evaluation from a NACES-member agency is typically required to satisfy USCIS.
Can I transfer my H-1B to a new sterile processing employer if I change jobs?
Yes. Under H-1B portability rules, you can begin working for a new employer as soon as they file a transfer petition with USCIS, without waiting for approval, provided you're maintaining valid status. The new employer must file a fresh LCA at the prevailing wage for your new work location before submitting the transfer petition.