When does the next class start?
New cohorts open regularly across both formats. In person, our next Philadelphia cohorts run Saturday mornings and Monday evenings; live virtual and Cherry Hill, NJ cohorts run on a rolling basis. The schedule on each program page always shows the current start dates and lets you reserve a seat — or call us and we’ll tell you the very next one.
How much does it cost, and do you offer payment plans?
Two options, both 16-week CRCST prep on the HSPA 9th Edition: live virtual $1,850 per cohort, and in-person $2,500 per cohort. For the cohort programs, $500 reserves your seat and the balance is due in full 12 weeks after an in-person class starts (10 weeks for virtual). Between now and that date you pay it down at your own pace in your student portal — we suggest about $325 every two weeks in person, or $250 virtual, just to make it easy to picture. For context, hospital- and college-based healthcare training in this region often runs into five figures, so ATS is a fraction of the typical cost.
Is the $500 deposit refundable?
No. Deposits and tuition payments are non-refundable and non-transferable once paid — including if you withdraw, stop attending, or never start — and a deposit can’t be moved to a different cohort or another person. The one exception is if we cancel a class outright and can’t offer you a seat in a replacement class. Please call us with any questions before you pay; we’d much rather talk it through first than take a deposit you regret.
What happens if I fall behind on payments?
Tell your instructor early — we want to know who’s falling behind and we may be able to help. Missing one of the suggested payments isn’t a problem by itself; what matters is that the balance clears by its due date, and that date doesn’t move. While a balance is past due we may restrict access until it’s current: for in-person students that can mean sitting out lab days, Discord access, and receiving new assignments, and for virtual students the live Zoom class and the online dashboard. Access comes back as soon as the account is current. The bigger one to know about up front: we don’t issue your certificate of completion and don’t refer you for externship placement while a balance is outstanding — both are released once you’re paid in full.
What if I have to withdraw?
Life happens — tell your instructor as soon as you can and we’ll talk through your options, including a later cohort where that’s realistic. What you’ve already paid isn’t refundable, so please talk to us before you stop attending rather than after. Our full terms are on the Terms page.
What’s the difference between in-person and virtual?
Both cover the full HSPA 9th Edition curriculum and prepare you for the CRCST exam. Live virtual ($1,850) is scheduled, instructor-led Zoom classes over 16 weeks — you can take it from any state. In-person ($2,500) is hands-on classroom training in Philadelphia or Cherry Hill, NJ, where you practice on real instrument trays, and it’s the strongest path toward our clinical partners.
How long does each program take?
Both virtual and in-person run 16 weeks per cohort, covering 24 chapters of the HSPA 9th Edition with reading, slides, quizzes, tests and instrument guides.
Is internship placement included in tuition?
No — and this is the most important thing to understand before you enroll. Tuition for every ATS program covers class time and exam preparation. It does not include internship placement. What ATS has that a video library doesn’t is signed clinical-affiliation agreements with real health systems, and we work to place students through them — but placement depends on facility capacity, your eligibility, and your location, and it is never guaranteed. Our agreements are regional, so we cannot place students in all fifty states. Wherever you are, we’ll help you search: resume help, interview prep, and a specific list of employers worth approaching.
Do you help with the externship and clinical hours?
Yes, within the limits above. After the class you’ll complete a 400-hour externship — an unpaid, volunteer placement in a hospital sterile processing department — to be eligible for employment and full certification. It isn’t included in tuition and isn’t guaranteed, but we do work to place students through our clinical-affiliation agreements, and in-person students have the strongest path because we’ve worked alongside them and can speak to how they’ll represent ATS. Two things to plan for: you’ll need to complete the documentation our partner facilities require — background check, immunizations, liability insurance, drug screening — and your tuition has to be paid in full before we refer you for placement or issue your certificate of completion.
Do you help with job placement?
Beyond internship assistance, we support the whole transition — resume help, interview prep, and connections into our clinical-partner health systems. The externship is designed to put you inside a real sterile processing department, which is where most of our students’ first jobs come from.
What certification does this prepare me for?
The CRCST (Certified Registered Central Service Technician), administered by HSPA. ATS teaches the complete HSPA 9th Edition curriculum — the material the exam is built on. ATS is an independent training provider and is not affiliated with HSPA.
Do you publish a pass rate?
Aseptic Technical Solutions is an independent training provider. HSPA administers the CRCST exam — we do not administer it, we do not receive individual score reports, and we do not publish a pass rate. What we can tell you is what we control: the full HSPA 9th Edition curriculum, lab days where you work in scrubs on tray assembly, wrapping and the decontamination process with real instruments, a tour of a working sterile processing department, and our clinical-partner relationships.
I don’t drive or can’t get to the Philadelphia classroom. Can I still get certified?
Yes. Our Philadelphia classroom (Mercy Fitzgerald, 1500 Lansdowne Ave) is reachable by public transit and many students commute in. If getting there isn’t practical, our live virtual class lets you certify from anywhere in the country — only the in-person format requires travel.
What if I need to retake the course?
Retakes are available at our discretion. If you fall behind or don’t pass, talk to your instructor about going through the course again — we look at each situation individually. It isn’t automatic, so please ask rather than assume.
Where is ATS located?
We’re based in the Philadelphia region — in-person classes in Philadelphia, PA (Mercy Fitzgerald, 1500 Lansdowne Ave) and Cherry Hill, NJ — and we serve live virtual students nationwide.
Can you email me the program details?
Absolutely. Use the “Email me the details” button on any program page and we’ll send cohort dates, pricing, and payment-plan information straight to your inbox — no pressure. Prefer to talk it through? Call or text (215) 360-3177.
How do I get started?
Pick an upcoming virtual or in-person cohort on the program page and reserve your seat with $500 down, or reach out and we’ll walk you through it. Not sure which fits? Grab our free Career Roadmap.