Do You Need Sterile Processing Consulting? Signs Your SPD Needs Expert Help

Sterile Processing Departments (SPD) play a vital role in ensuring patient safety and operational efficiency within healthcare systems. Yet, despite these critical responsibilities, SPD teams often face chronic underinvestment, high turnover and lack of recognition. The average salary is on par with a convenience store clerk, yet the SPD department holds the outcome of patients’ procedures in their hands. This disconnect fuels staffing crises, rising costs and compliance risks.

Considering these challenges, sterile processing consulting and outsourcing have emerged as viable solutions to raise performance standards and relieve internal pressures.

But how do you know if your SPD team needs expert support?

And what can a strategic partnership deliver that internal efforts cannot?

Let’s dig in for some answers. But first, let’s review the importance of sterile processing.

What is Sterile Processing?

Sterile processing is the behind-the-scenes backbone of surgical care. Technicians are responsible for cleaning, sterilizing, inspecting and preparing surgical instruments and equipment. This work is performed by sterile processing technicians, typically within a hospital’s Sterile Processing Department (SPD), to ensure every tool used in a procedure meets strict rules and regulations for patient safety.

Top Skills for Sterile Processing Technicians:

Top-performing sterile processing technicians bring a mix of technical skills, compliance knowledge, and adaptability to their roles. CRCST Certification is often required and demonstrates knowledge and a commitment to safety.

Are you cut out to be a Sterile Processing Technician? Tech-Hour developed a list of the top skills needed to be successful.

The key ones we agree with are:

1. Attention to Detail. Is this a personality trait or a skill? Either way, it’s essential in sterile processing.
   The good news is that this is a trainable skill. A big part of the job will be the ability to follow Instructions for Use (IFUs).
2. Sterilization Expertise: CRCST Certification programs provide the foundational knowledge sterile processing technicians need to understand and apply various sterilization techniques.
3. Stamina and Endurance: This is an active, physical role. It requires standing, lifting and performing detailed, sometimes tedious tasks without losing focus.
4. Equipment Handling: Sterile processing technicians are responsible for assembling, inspecting, storing and transporting surgical instruments with precision and care. Some tools may cost just a few dollars, others are worth hundreds of thousands. This makes attention to detail essential.
5. Safety and Compliance Awareness: SPD staff are responsible for following strict infection control guidelines, hospital policies and regulatory requirements from organizations like OSHA and The Joint Commission.
6. Time Management: Sterile processing technicians must have the ability to work under tight time constraints to ensure the tools are ready when needed.
7. Communication: Regular dialogue with OR teams, including nurses and surgeons, is essential to ensure surgical trays are accurate and ready.
8. Problem Solving: Unexpected issues happen and it requires technicians to think on their feet and adapt quickly.

Are you looking for a career in SPD? We are always hiring! Explore our Careers page and apply today!

Why Hospital SPD Teams Struggle to Thrive

Sterile Processing teams are essential to patient safety, yet often undervalued, resulting in high stress, burnout and low retention. Despite holding surgical outcomes in their hands, SPD techs are frequently underpaid and overworked. The role demands certifications, strict compliance, and technical skill, yet offers little flexibility. This mismatch between responsibility and recognition fuels a cycle of burnout and turnover.

When skilled technicians leave, hospitals often bring in temporary traveler staff. But travelers are a costly bandage, not a long-term solution. The added pressure on remaining staff only gets worse.

The result?

A department expected to function to the highest possible standards without the resources, staffing or recognition to support it.

Outsourcing, when done with the right partner, can break this cycle.

The Hidden Costs of Underinvestment

When SPD departments are under-resourced, the problems extend beyond employee morale. Inefficient or error-prone processes can:

• Delay surgeries, creating bottlenecks and Operating Room idle time
• Lead to improperly sterilized instruments, increasing infection risk
• Accelerate wear and tear on instruments, driving up replacement costs
• Result in non-compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards

Each of these outcomes has financial and reputational consequences for hospitals. The inability to consistently meet standards puts accreditation at risk and damages the trust of patients and surgical staff alike.

Strategic Value of Sterile Processing Consulting

There are persistent hospital SPD challenges to tackle. While any challenge is difficult, there are ways to tackle it. The best way would be to partner with a specialized sterile processing consulting company or agency. Rather than patching the issue with short-term fixes or the expense of travel sterile processing, the best sterile processing expert partners can provide long-term operational improvement.

The right consulting partner brings certified staff, dedicated leadership and data-driven insights to optimize SPD workflows. Rather than relying on short-term travel techs, consulting offers sustainable improvements to reduce delays and waste.

Sterile processing consulting services can also identify bottlenecks in the reprocessing cycle, streamline tray assembly, and improve reporting and accountability. In many cases, the results extend far beyond SPD, enhancing surgical department satisfaction and improving system-wide efficiency.

Signs Your SPD Needs Expert Help

If you're unsure whether your SPD could benefit from consulting, consider these warning signs:

• Chronic staffing shortages or high turnover
• Regular use of temporary traveler staff
• Frequent surgical delays due to incomplete trays or missing instruments
• Poor instrument tracking and high replacement costs
• Low employee morale or engagement
• Struggles with compliance during audits or surveys

These symptoms indicate systemic issues that internal efforts alone may not be able to resolve. An external partner brings fresh perspective, resources, and proven systems to stabilize and strengthen your SPD.

What to Look for in a Sterile Processing Consulting Partner

It should be no surprise to learn not all SPD outsourcing or consulting partners are created equal. When evaluating a potential partner, healthcare organizations should look for the following:

• Clinical expertise on-site: Partners should provide experienced SPD managers and staff who understand clinical workflows.
• Transparent performance metrics: Data dashboards, benchmarks and regular reporting should be standard practice.
• Accreditation readiness: The sterile processing consulting partner should ensure compliance with regulatory bodies and support Joint Commission (TJC) surveys.
• Flexible cost models: Pricing should align with a hospital’s surgical volume, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Proven Quality Commitment: Demonstrated quality, such as ISO certification, specifically ISO 9001, reflects a dedication to continuous improvement and high standards.

Surgical Solutions checks every box.

Surgical Solutions combines sterile processing consulting expertise with full-service, on-site operational outsourcing.

Unlike typical sterile processing consultants, we don’t just recommend—we implement, manage, and optimize your SPD operations as a long-term partner.

We’re ISO 9001 certified and bring a proven, customizable and quality-first approach to sterile processing.

We help hospitals transform SPD from a persistent pain point into a center of operational strength.

Whether you’re addressing immediate performance gaps or planning for future growth, Surgical Solutions is the strategic partner that delivers both stability and excellence.

Ready to assess your SPD challenges?
Contact Surgical Solutions for a no-obligation consultation, or explore our case studies and Healthcare Insights on our blog.

Whether you’re exploring sterile processing consulting or ready to outsource operations fully, Surgical Solutions offers the expertise, staff and structure to elevate your SPD now and in the long term.