Dental Sterilization Technician Details

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN

Employment Type : Full-Time

All required qualifications must be documented on application materials.
Required Qualifications:

  • Successful completion of an accredited Central Sterile Processing training program, or three (3) months experience as Hospital Central Services Technician or equivalent. Must be able to stand on feet for entire work shift, able to lift 40 pounds chest high, be able to bend and stoop repeatedly in the handling of materials.
  • Experience in a dental clinic.
  • Infection control knowledge.
  • Current in CPR.
  • Experience with electronic health records.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience in a community clinic setting
  • Experience working with sterilization/autoclaves.
  • Bi-lingual (Hmong/Somali/Spanish).
  • Graduate of a dental assisting program or currently working on obtaining your degree as a dental assistant.
OBJECTIVE/OVERVIEW:
This position is located in the U of M Community-University Health Care Center Dental Clinic (CHUCC). The employee will oversee the sterilization and storage of all dental instruments. The employee will assist the Dental Clinic Manager in measures around quality and safety, such as running weekly spore tests on the autoclaves and checking the eyewash station weekly. The employee will assist in the overall flow of the dental clinic, including rooming patients and turning over rooms. The employee will also help with dental scheduling and other administrative tasks, such as reminder calls.

Reporting Relationship:
No direct reports.

Essential Functions & Percentage for Each Function:

1. Sterilize instruments/equipment and maintain a standard of infection control (50-60%)
  • Wear gloves and safety glasses while in the sterilization room.
  • Meet all sterilization and documentation criteria set by OSHA and CDC, ADA
  • Make sure all instruments and equipment are properly sterilized and are re-circulated. Disinfect the dental treatment room according to CUHCC protocol

2. Assist clinical staff (30-50%)
  • Schedule appointments through EMR and EDR and Dentrix
  • Greet and room patients
  • Answer phones/telephone techniques
  • Take blood pressure as needed
  • Work with staff and agency interpreters as needed
  • Fax records as needed
  • Email x-rays as needed
  • Set-up and turn over rooms
  • Confirm all dental appointments two days ahead
  • Make sure labels or patient identification is on all records/documents
  • Scan documentation into dental chart as needed

3. Maintain inventory levels and stock operatories. Check in new supplies. (5%)
  • Daily - stock rooms, sterilization area, and any other area where we keep extra supplies.
  • Maintain a list of supplies needed on the “To be ordered list”
  • Notify building maintenance manager when Nitrous and Oxygen tanks are low.

4. Participate on staff development, quality assurance, compliance committees, etc. (5%)

5. Other duties as assigned

Non-Essential Functions:

Required Competencies
Customer service skills
Cultural sensitivity/competence
Team work
Time management
Inter-personal relationship skills


  • CUHCC reserves the right to change or add duties to this position description.

Salary: $16.98 - $23.12 per hour

CUHCC serves nearly 11,000 patients a year through over 55,000 visits annually. The patient population comes from over 12 different racial and ethnic groups that span five continents. CUHCC’s mission is to seek health equity in our community by advancing the well-being of diverse people. Candidates must be able to adapt behaviors to others’ styles; interact with people who have different values, cultures, or backgrounds; be of service to difficult people; optimize the benefits of having a diverse workforce.

Teamwork is an essential skill to promote synergy within the organization. Candidates must be able to share due credit with coworkers; display enthusiasm and promote a friendly group working environment; work closely with other departments as necessary; support group decisions and solicit opinions from coworkers; display team spirit.

Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to clearly present information through the spoken or written word; read and interpret complex information; talk with customers or clients; listen well.

Staff is expected to demonstrate a high level of service delivery; do what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; deal with service failures and prioritize customer needs.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-UOHR (8647).


The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu.

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.


The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

The University of Minnesota offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

  • Competitive wages, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave
  • Low cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
  • Health care and dependent daycare flexible spending accounts
  • Excellent retirement plans with employer match
  • Disability and employer paid life insurance
  • Wellbeing program with reduced insurance premiums
  • Tuition reimbursement opportunities covering 75%-100% of eligible tuition
  • Student loan forgiveness opportunity
  • Opportunities for growth and promotion
  • Employee Assistance Program

For more information regarding benefits:

https://humanresources.umn.edu/sites/humanresources.umn.edu/files/2018_tcd-cslr-75100-ben-0105-7.pdf

Posted on : 3 years ago