Host a student
Provide paid or volunteer hands-on experience in one or more required sterile processing work areas. A full 400-hour placement is valuable, but partial-hour opportunities are also accepted.
The Sterile Process Foundation
Training access can change the direction of a life.
The Sterile Process Foundation is the nonprofit arm of our work. Its mission is to provide affordable sterile processing training and workforce preparation to people in at-risk and underserved communities.
We welcome partnerships with community-based organizations, workforce boards, reentry programs, schools, shelters, healthcare systems, public agencies, and funders that want to create a direct pathway into a healthcare career.
Employer Identification Number (EIN)92-3004281
Organizations may partner with us to
- Sponsor tuition, materials, certification preparation, or student support
- Bring a training cohort to a specific community or service population
- Refer qualified participants who are ready for education and employment
- Provide classroom space, technology access, wraparound services, or case management
- Connect trainees with hands-on experience, interviews, or employment opportunities
Community partnerships
Help prepare the next generation of sterile processing professionals.
We are seeking healthcare facilities willing to provide supervised hands-on experience and organizations able to donate instruments or training supplies. Both forms of support strengthen the bridge between education and workforce readiness.
Submit a partnership inquiryWays to partner
Choose the role that fits your organization.
Donate instruments or supplies
Donate reusable instruments, trays, containers, wrappers, indicators, inspection tools, or other appropriate materials for supervised student practice and demonstration.
Provide community training
Partner with The Sterile Process Foundation to bring affordable sterile processing education and workforce preparation to at-risk and underserved communities.
The certification requirement
What the 400 hours must include.
HSPA requires candidates to pass the CRCST examination and complete 400 hours of hands-on experience in a Sterile Processing department. The experience may be paid or volunteer and may be divided among multiple facilities.
Students who pass the exam before completing their hours hold provisional certification and must submit qualifying documentation within HSPA’s required timeframe. HSPA, not The Sterile Process, determines whether experience and documentation are accepted.
Review HSPA’s current CRCST requirements120 hoursDecontamination
120 hoursPreparing and packaging instruments
120 hoursSterilization and disinfection
24 hoursStorage and distribution
16 hoursQuality assurance processes
For student host sites
What we need from a placement partner.
The goal is legitimate, supervised experience that helps a student build safe work habits and gives HSPA a clear, verifiable record of completed hours.
Direct supervision
A qualified manager or supervisor must oversee the student, physically witness the work performed, and provide professional contact information for verification.
Meaningful hands-on work
Students should participate in appropriate tasks within the applicable experience categories. Observation alone cannot replace hands-on experience.
Accurate documentation
The site must track the hours completed in each required area and complete its portion of HSPA documentation. When multiple sites are used, each facility documents only the hours completed there.
Safe onboarding
The partner identifies its screening, health, orientation, confidentiality, safety, scheduling, and conduct requirements before a student begins.
Dental, veterinary, optical, and other nontraditional sites
HSPA requires facilities outside a hospital or surgery center to be reviewed and approved before a candidate begins accumulating hours. The Sterile Process will coordinate with the prospective partner and student, but final authorization belongs to HSPA.
For instrument donors
Training materials must arrive safe and ready for educational use.
- All instruments and reusable devices must be fully decontaminated before transfer.
- Donations may include instruments removed from clinical service if defects and intended training use are clearly identified.
- No contaminated items, medications, tissue, single-use sharps, or unsecured biohazardous materials will be accepted.
- Please provide an inventory or general description, approximate quantity, condition, and pickup or shipping location.
- The Sterile Process reviews each proposed donation before accepting delivery.