Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Medical Equipment Preparers
Occupation · SOC 31-9093.00
Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.
Also called: Central Service Technician (CST) · Central Sterile Supply Technician (CSS Technician) · Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) · Sterile Processing Technician (Sterile Processing Tech) · Central Processing Technician (CPT) · Instrument Technician · Sterile Preparation Technician · Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician (SPD Tech) · Sterile Technician · Sterilization Technician · Aseptic Technician (Aseptic Tech) · Bandage Maker
Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-31-9093-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+10.0% by 2034)
- 10,900 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $46,490/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (63rd); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (14th)
14th-percentile task overlap — yet about 10,900 openings a year (+10% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 28th | -0.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 19th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 3rd | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 63rd percentile among occupations · Moderate
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +10.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 10,900 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 76,500 → 84,200 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Medical Equipment Preparers sits at the 18th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
15% mean task exposure (2025)
18th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified · 5329 | 15% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed. Core · importance 4.8
- Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization. Core · importance 4.8
- Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed. Core · importance 4.8
- Record sterilizer test results. Core · importance 4.8
- Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair. Core · importance 4.7
- Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff. Core · importance 4.7
- Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or washers. Supplemental · importance 4.6
- Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low. Core · importance 4.5
- Stock crash carts or other medical supplies. Core · importance 4.5
- Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated. Core · importance 4.5
- Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards. Core · importance 4.5
- Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Deliver equipment to specified hospital locations or to patients' residences. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Attend hospital in-service programs related to areas of work specialization. Core · importance 3.8
- Assist hospital staff with patient care duties, such as providing transportation or setting up traction. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Install and set up medical equipment, using hand tools. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Order medical supplies for healthcare facilities or laboratories.
Work activities
- Stock medical or patient care supplies.
- Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
- Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Operate medical equipment.
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
- Record vital statistics or other health information.
- Monitor medical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- Attend educational events to update medical knowledge.
- Transport biological or other medical materials.
- Deliver items.
- Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
- Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.5 | |
| English Language | 3.9 | |
| Biology | 3.4 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.2 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.1 | |
| Administrative | 3.0 | |
| Chemistry | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.3 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.3 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Visualization | 3.0 | |
| Control Precision | 3.0 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Static Strength | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Active Listening | 3.3 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 43.8% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 31.2% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 15.3% | |
| Some College Courses | 4.4% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 3.5% | |
| Master's Degree | 1.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.8 | |
| Conventional | 5.5 | |
| Investigative | 3.4 | |
| Social | 2.4 |
Interest areas
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.2 | |
| Health Care Service | 4.2 | |
| Medical Science | 2.3 | |
| Engineering | 2.2 | |
| Life Science | 1.9 | |
| Office Work | 1.8 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 1.6 | |
| Physical Science | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.8 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.4 | |
| Integrity | 1.8 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $35,400 |
| 25th percentile | $38,910 |
| Median (50th) | $46,490 |
| 75th percentile | $56,160 |
| 90th percentile | $67,070 |
| People employed | 72,760 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 67,050 | $46,480 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,950 | $44,230 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1,680 | $46,430 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 870 | $45,960 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 740 | $49,530 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 660 | $50,680 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 590 | $40,520 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 290 | $45,400 |
| Veterinary Services · National industry | 260 | $45,300 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 260 | $47,480 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers · National industry | 200 | $38,750 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 170 | $52,710 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 6.15× | 67,050 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.34× | 1,680 |
| Veterinary Services · National industry | 1.19× | 260 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers · National industry | 0.6× | 200 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.46× | 1,950 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.31× | 870 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 0.26× | 290 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.2× | 260 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Surgical Technologists · 29-2055.00 Compare →
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians · 29-2012.00 Compare →
- Endoscopy Technicians · 31-9099.02 Compare →
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists · 29-2011.00 Compare →
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians · 29-2031.00 Compare →
- Surgical Assistants · 29-9093.00 Compare →
- Histotechnologists · 29-2011.04 Compare →
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians · 17-3028.00 Compare →
- Medical Equipment Repairers · 49-9062.00 Compare →
- Phlebotomists · 31-9097.00 Compare →
- Chemical Plant and System Operators · 51-8091.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists · 29-2033.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Medical Equipment Preparers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 18th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Medical Equipment Preparers show 14th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 10,900 annual U.S. openings
- Medical Equipment Preparers rank in the 14th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 10,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+10%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $46,490, across about 72,760 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Medical Equipment Preparers show 14th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 10,900 annual U.S. openings • Medical Equipment Preparers rank in the 14th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 10,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+10%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $46,490, across about 72,760 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Medical Equipment Preparers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9093-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Medical Equipment Preparers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9093-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Medical Equipment Preparers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9093-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-9093-00,
title = {Medical Equipment Preparers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9093-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.