Occupation Profile

Medical Equipment Preparers

(SOC Code : 31-9093)

in California

Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$16.05	$11.03	$15.60	$19.70

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	7,100	8,000	900	12.7	200

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,393

53.5%

Offices of Dentists

26,546

24.7%

Offices of Physicians

62,928

5.0%

Outpatient Care Centers

6,487

4.7%

Scientific Research and Development Svc

5,742

2.0%

Colleges and Universities

1,979

1.0%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.

Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization.

Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.

Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.

Record sterilizer test results.

Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards.

Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff.

Stock crash carts or other medical supplies.

Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems.

Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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