If you're shopping for a sterile processing program, you're really shopping for an instructor. The curriculum is largely set by the HSPA 9th Edition — what differs from one program to the next is the person teaching it. Having spent years on both sides of the table, here's what I think separates a great sterile processing instructor from a merely adequate one.
They've actually done the work
This is non-negotiable. An instructor who has stood at a decontamination sink, assembled trays against an OR deadline, and chased down a failed sterilizer cycle teaches differently than someone reading from slides. They can answer the question behind the question. They know which mistakes new techs really make, because they've made them and watched others make them.
When you evaluate a program, ask directly: has my instructor worked in a sterile processing department? The answer changes everything.
They teach the "why," not just the "what"
Anyone can recite a sterilization parameter. A great instructor explains why it exists — what failure it prevents, what happens to a patient if it's ignored. Students who understand the reasoning retain it, troubleshoot with it, and carry it into a real department. Students who only memorize it forget it the week after the exam.
They meet students where they are
Many people entering this field are career-changers, parents, and first-time students who haven't been in a classroom in years. A great instructor makes that a strength, not a barrier:
- Patience over polish. No question is treated as a dumb one.
- Multiple paths in. Some students thrive in a live virtual class or in person; others need the flexibility of self-study. Good instruction adapts.
- Support past the exam. The best instructors stay involved through certification and into internship placement — because the goal was never a test score. It was a career.
They never stop being students themselves
Standards evolve. Instruments change. The instructor who still holds and renews their own credentials — and keeps learning — is the one whose teaching stays current and honest.
Aseptic Technical Solutions is an independent training provider and is not affiliated with HSPA. Our curriculum follows the HSPA 9th Edition.
This is the bar we hold ourselves to at ATS, and it's why we built the school around real instructors and hands-on practice — more on that in Why Hands-On Training Still Wins. If you're ready to find the right program, start with our free Career Roadmap.