Get certified. Protect patients. Start your SPD career right.
Sterile Processing Academy walks you through every core domain — Decontamination, Assembly, Sterilization, and Sterile Storage — with the precise, step-by-step instruction you need to earn your Certificate of Completion and qualify to sit for the CSPDT (CBSPD) or CRCST (HSPA) certification exam.
"Every step in this program exists because somewhere down the line, a patient is counting on you to get it right."
— Nathan Hostetter
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Safely perform the full decontamination workflow — sorting, manual cleaning, and automated washer-disinfector operation — following OSHA and AAMI standards
- Inspect, assemble, and wrap surgical instrument sets and trays using correct count sheets, chemical indicators, and packaging techniques
- Select and operate sterilization modalities (steam, EO, hydrogen peroxide plasma) correctly, interpreting cycle parameters and biological indicator results
- Apply sterile storage principles including shelf-life event-related practices, proper handling, and environmental monitoring requirements
- Pass chapter quizzes and unit tests that mirror the knowledge domains tested on the CSPDT and CRCST certification exams
- Earn a Certificate of Completion by scoring 70% or higher on the proctored final exam, qualifying you to apply for the CBSPD CSPDT or HSPA CRCST certification exam
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 31 lessons
Foundations of Sterile Processing
Establishes the professional, regulatory, and safety groundwork every SPD technician must know before entering the department.
- 1.1The Role of the Sterile Processing TechnicianIncluded
- 1.2Regulatory Standards and Professional OrganizationsIncluded
- 1.3Microbiology Basics for SPDIncluded
- 1.4Personal Protective Equipment and Department SafetyIncluded
- 1.5Foundations QuizIncluded
Decontamination
Trains technicians to safely receive, sort, manually clean, and run automated reprocessing equipment to eliminate soil and reduce bioburden.
- 2.1Receiving and Sorting Contaminated InstrumentsIncluded
- 2.2Manual Cleaning TechniquesIncluded
- 2.3Automated Washer-Disinfectors and Cart WashersIncluded
- 2.4Cleaning Verification and Quality MonitoringIncluded
- 2.5Decontamination QuizIncluded
Preparation and Assembly (Prep & Pack)
Develops the skills to inspect, functionally test, assemble, and package surgical instrument sets and trays ready for sterilization.
- 3.1Instrument Inspection and Functional TestingIncluded
- 3.2Count Sheets and Tray AssemblyIncluded
- 3.3Packaging Materials and SelectionIncluded
- 3.4Wrapping Techniques and Packaging IntegrityIncluded
- 3.5Chemical Indicators and LabelingIncluded
- 3.6Prep & Pack QuizIncluded
Sterilization
Covers the principles, equipment operation, quality monitoring, and documentation for all major sterilization modalities used in healthcare facilities.
- 4.1Principles of SterilizationIncluded
- 4.2Steam SterilizationIncluded
- 4.3Low-Temperature Sterilization: EO and Hydrogen Peroxide PlasmaIncluded
- 4.4Biological Indicators and Chemical IntegratorsIncluded
- 4.5Load Control, Documentation, and Recall ProceduresIncluded
- 4.6Sterilization QuizIncluded
Sterile Storage and Distribution
Teaches correct sterile storage conditions, event-related shelf-life practices, handling standards, and instrument distribution workflows.
- 5.1Environmental Requirements for Sterile StorageIncluded
- 5.2Event-Related Sterility and Shelf LifeIncluded
- 5.3Proper Handling and Transport of Sterile ItemsIncluded
- 5.4Inventory Management and Stock RotationIncluded
- 5.5Sterile Storage QuizIncluded
Certification Exam Preparation and Final Exam
Consolidates all four core domains through targeted review, timed practice exams, and the proctored final that qualifies graduates to apply for CSPDT or CRCST certification.
- 6.1Domain Review: Decontamination and AssemblyIncluded
- 6.2Domain Review: Sterilization and Sterile StorageIncluded
- 6.3Full-Length Practice ExamIncluded
- 6.4Proctored Final ExamIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
Career changers entering healthcare
Coming from outside healthcare and needs a structured, start-from-zero program that explains the science and the standards — not just the steps.
New SPD hires on the floor
Just started in the sterile processing department and wants formal training to back up what they're learning on the job and prepare for certification.
Certification exam candidates
Aiming to pass the CRCST or CSPDT and needs a curriculum mapped to the exact domains tested, with practice assessments that mirror the real exam.
SPD supervisors standardizing onboarding
Responsible for bringing new technicians up to speed consistently and wants a documented, assessment-backed program every hire completes.
Surgery center support staff cross-training
Works in a small ambulatory surgery center where staff wear multiple hats and needs credible, thorough SPD training without a full hospital program.
Experienced techs without formal credentials
Has years of hands-on SPD experience but never earned a certification — ready to fill the knowledge gaps and finally get the credential their work deserves.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Nathan Hostetter
If you're new to sterile processing — or you've been doing the job for a while without formal training — I want you to know something: almost everyone in this field started exactly where you are. Confused by the terminology. Unsure of the "why" behind the protocols. Wondering whether you're doing it right. That uncertainty doesn't mean you're not cut out for this work. It means you haven't had the right instruction yet.
That's what this academy is here to fix.
I built Sterile Processing Academy because the SPD is one of the most consequential departments in any hospital or surgery center — and one of the most undertrained. Technicians are often put on the floor before they understand what a biological indicator is telling them, or why the order of operations in decontamination isn't just a preference but an infection control necessity. This program changes that. We go through every domain methodically: Decontamination, Preparation and Assembly, Sterilization, and Sterile Storage — not as a checklist, but as a connected system where each step protects the patient at the next one.
I know the common objection: "I'll just learn on the job." And yes, you'll pick things up on the floor. But on-the-job learning doesn't prepare you for a certification exam, and it doesn't fill in the gaps you don't know you have. This curriculum is mapped directly to the knowledge domains tested on the CSPDT and CRCST exams — the two gold-standard credentials in this profession. The quizzes, unit tests, and full-length practice exam aren't busywork; they're the same style of knowledge check you'll face on exam day, so you're not surprised when it counts.
Whether you're coming in from retail, food service, the military, or another healthcare role, I've written this for you. The language is clinical and precise — because that's what the job demands — but I never assume you already know what I'm about to explain. Every protocol comes with the reasoning behind it, because technicians who understand why the standard exists are the ones who uphold it even when no one is watching.
I'm glad you're here. Let's get you trained, credentialed, and confident in the work you're doing.
— Nathan Hostetter
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- 6 modules, 31 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed