Both credentials are recognized. Both carry weight with employers. They are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one first costs you time and money. Here is how to choose based on where you are right now.
Certified Registered Central Service Technician, issued by IAHCSMM. The most widely recognized sterile processing certification in the United States, and required by law in several states including New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee.
Requires 400 hours of on-the-job experience in a sterile processing or central service department. No degree required. The exam covers decontamination, prep and packaging, sterilization, storage and distribution, and department management. $139 for IAHCSMM members, $199 for non-members, administered online through Proctortrack. Full breakdown in the CRCST certification guide.
Certified in Sterile Processing and Distribution, issued by the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution. The CBSPD offers several credentials; the CSPD is the primary one for technicians entering the field.
Requires at least one year of full-time experience, or the equivalent in part-time hours. Exam fee is $225, available online, covering similar core competency areas. See the CBSPD certification guide for exam structure and prep.
Get the CRCST. Lower entry bar, more state mandates, more job postings. If you are still accumulating your 400 hours, start studying now and sit for the exam the moment you qualify.
Once you have a full year of experience, adding the CBSPD is a real differentiator, particularly if you are targeting specialty roles or supervisor and lead positions where dual certification signals depth.
You need the hours before you can sit for anything. Start with a training program that includes a clinical externship, or find an employer willing to hire and train. See how to get hired with no experience.
You can begin studying immediately, but you must complete the 400 hours of on-the-job experience in a sterile processing or central service department to qualify to sit for the exam.
Yes, once your experience qualifies you. Holding both strengthens your position for advancement, travel assignments, and higher pay. Employers hiring for lead and supervisor roles increasingly prefer candidates with dual certification.
The CRCST exam costs $139 for IAHCSMM members and $199 for non-members. The CBSPD exam fee is $225. Both are administered online.
No. The CRCST has no formal degree requirement, only the 400-hour experience requirement. The CBSPD requires one year of full-time experience or equivalent part-time hours.
The CRCST appears in job postings more frequently, particularly in hospital systems that reference IAHCSMM guidelines in their hiring criteria. Some employers list both as acceptable.
See current openings that list CRCST or CBSPD in their requirements.
View Sterile Processing JobsFind out what certification is worth in your state before you negotiate.
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