Glossary
Sterile Processing Technician Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential sterile processing technician terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key sterile processing technician vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in sterile processing technician training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Autoclave
- A steam sterilizer.
- Bioburden
- The number of microorganisms on an item.
- Biological indicator (BI)
- A test containing bacterial spores that confirms a sterilizer killed microbes.
- Bowie-Dick test
- A daily test that checks air removal in pre-vacuum steam sterilizers.
- Case cart
- A cart of instruments and supplies prepared for a specific surgery.
- Chemical indicator
- A strip or tape that changes color when sterilization conditions are met.
- Count sheet
- A list of every instrument that belongs in a tray.
- Decontamination
- Cleaning and disinfecting items to make them safe to handle.
- Sterility that lasts until something, such as damage or moisture, compromises the package.
- High-level disinfection
- A process that kills all microorganisms except some bacterial spores.
- IFU
- Instructions for use: the manufacturer’s cleaning and sterilization instructions.
- IUSS
- Immediate-use steam sterilization, used only when there is no other option.
- Load record
- Documentation of what was sterilized, when and with which test results.
- Point-of-use cleaning
- Wiping and moistening instruments right after use, before transport.
- Sterilization
- A process that destroys all forms of microbial life.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Sterile Processing Technician practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Sterile Processing Technician training.
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