More than half (56 percent) of the 228 CS professionals who responded to the 2010 Healthcare Purchasing News CS Salary Survey saw their base salaries increase over 2009 totals, and 20 percent indicated that they are even expecting a bonus (up from 15 percent in 2009). Overall, CS salaries climbed more than $1,308 over 2009 totals, with an average salary across all job titles registering at $54,227. While that 2.5 percent average salary increase didn’t quite measure up to last year’s 3.6 percent, many would agree that any pay hike in today’s downturned economy is worth applauding. It’s also worth mentioning that nearly one-third of respondents (29 percent) saw an increase ranging from 3-3.99 percent, and another ten percent garnered a lofty 4-4.99 percent raise.

As anticipated, CS directors, whom comprised 5 percent of respondents, are the highest earners, drawing in $81,107 in 2010, on average, compared to $73,846 a year ago. CS educators reported an annual average 2010 salary of $63,214, up nearly $13,000 over earnings reported in 2009. CS manager salaries remained about the same ($63,877) while the average CS technician saw their salary climb from $35,222 to $36,339.

In many cases, salaries are partly dictated by facility location. The highest CS earners work in the Pacific region ($60,909), followed by those in the Northeast ($56,764) and Canada ($55,833) then the Mountain and Central regions ($52,875 and $49,395, respectively). The Southeast region came in at $48,963.

Salary by Region
	CANADA	$55,833
	PACIFIC	$60,909
	MOUNTAIN	$52,875
	CENTRAL	$49,395
	NORTHEAST	$56,764
	SOUTHEAST	$48,963

The fact that year over year reported salaries continue to inch higher should help assure CS professionals that the hard work they do each day is not going unnoticed.

"Any time I see these averages increase, it lets me know that the importance of what we do and the skill levels required to do our job are finally being recognized. Although we still have work to do in that area, this is still very good news for the profession," stressed Lisa Huber, CRCST, FCS, manager of sterile processing at Maryville, IL-based Anderson Hospital.

Higher pay isn’t the only good news for today’s CS professionals, however. Knowledge advancement is also gaining momentum, and nowhere is that more obvious than with certification.

Most CS professionals (70 percent) are already certified and another 15 percent are either in the process or planning to become certified. Further, 9 percent of non-certified respondents reported that they are considering it – up from just 5 percent in 2009.

Certification

"Certification is so important because it helps drive quality and professionalism. It would be wonderful if more hospitals made certification mandatory, but it does appear that a large number of CS professionals are taking charge of their careers by becoming certified on their own," noted Michele DeMeo, CRCST, sterile processing manager for Memorial Hospital, York, PA.

Does certification increase compensation at your facility?

The 2010 CS Salary Survey showed that only 40 percent of hospitals currently require CS certification.

"Facilities that offer incentives to those who become certified will often drive up certification rates. Any time a CS professional becomes certified, that’s a win-win for the department, its customers, the patients, and the entire organization, as a whole," DeMeo added.

Some CS departments have promoted certification in other ways. At Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UT, for example, technicians cannot advance to a higher position without certification."We have four levels of technicians here and you can’t even move from a Tech 1 to a Tech 2 unless you’re certified," explained Bruce Bird, CRCST, the hospital’s central processing manager. "We really like to hire someone who is already educated and certified, so we can bring them in at a higher level. If you don’t have people in the department who are certified, that can really put you in a pinch."

Maintaining certification requires successful completion of continuing education credits, as well, and respondents appear to be more than meeting those expectations. On average, CS professionals participated in 14 CE/self-study courses (up from 13 in 2009), and 27 percent reported that they completed more than 20.

Education and professionalism come in other forms, too, as this year’s survey showed. While 47 percent of respondents are high school graduates, 26 percent and 18 percent, respectively, have earned their Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree. Nine percent are post-grads. As one might expect, higher education often correlates with higher salaries. Those with Associate’s degrees earn $57,568, on average, compared to $44,605 for high school graduates. Respondents with Bachelor’s degrees command roughly $10,000 more than their Associate’s-degreed counterparts. Post-grads, on the other hand, earned nearly $1,000 less than those with a Bachelor’s, suggesting that some facilities may have a degree-related salary cap.

Bird was pleased by the number of degreed respondents, although he wasn’t exactly surprised. In fact, he predicts the CS profession may see even more college-educated CS staffers in the years ahead. "I don’t believe there will be many opportunities for managers and directors who don’t have a degree," he said, adding that some facilities may require those in leadership positions to hold a degree in business or another related field.

Increased membership and participation with allied professional organizations is another noteworthy trend uncovered by the 2010 HPN CS Salary Survey. Membership with the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management and the Certification Board for Sterile Processing & Distribution remains high, comprising 68 percent and 23 percent of respondents respectively.

In addition, an impressive 15 percent of respondents reported that they are members of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, representing a significant leap over last year’s 3 percent.

"This is outstanding," raved CS veteran Natalie Lind, who serves as educational director for IAHCSMM. "For too long, many people stood on the sidelines, so it’s great to see more involvement – especially since AAMI’s standards impact what CS professionals do every day." Lind pointed out that the Internet has made active participation easier than ever because CS professionals can now comment on standards documents online.

Other associations are also drawing a greater CS following. Eleven percent of survey respondents belong to the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, and 7 percent are members of the Association of Surgical Technologists. Four percent belong to the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management, indicating that a number of CS professionals still bear materials management-related responsibilities. Despite the CS discipline’s direct link to infection prevention, only 2 percent of respondents reported an affiliation with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, however.

"There is some real opportunity there. I expect we’ll be seeing more CS professionals involved with APIC moving forward, though," Lind predicted.

The notion that CS is a profession, as opposed to just an entry-level job, was further validated by the survey. The average CS professional today is older than age 50 and has worked in the CS field for 17.3 years (a whopping 29 percent of respondents have been working in CS for more than 25 years). Facility loyalty is also apparent, with respondents having worked at their current hospitals for 11.6 years, on average.

That longevity might explain why the vast majority of CS professionals feel secure in their role. Ninety-one percent of respondents indicated that they are either very secure or somewhat secure in their current position (down only slightly from 94 percent in 2009). For the eight percent who are reportedly "somewhat insecure," Bird offered this bit of advice:

"Be essential to the organization and be progressive. Make sure you are so valuable that they can’t let you go, and be dedicated to promoting and marketing the department through service excellence. It really boils down to quality customer service and the ability to lead your department – and your customers – into the future."

While it’s good to see so many veteran CS professionals amongst the ranks, that could also prove to be a major challenge for hospitals as their most seasoned, experienced employees near retirement age. That’s especially the case for facilities that haven’t emphasized the importance of succession planning and peer mentoring to groom younger staffers into future CS leaders.

"Succession planning seems to take a backseat in many healthcare disciplines, and sterile processing is no exception," said DeMeo. "To be successful in the future, a plan that incorporates formalized grooming and mentoring is imperative."

Of course, ensuring that the discipline continues to make notable strides – not only in terms of salary and job security, but also with ongoing knowledge advancement, professionalism and facility-wide respect – largely hinges on CS professionals’ commitment to making their contributions known.

"I am still dismayed at the lack of understanding by most administrators of the importance of the sterile processing department," noted Nancy Chobin, RN, AAS, ACSP, CSPDM, a corporate consultant who has served as educator at Saint Barnabas Health Care System in West Orange, NJ, since 1990, and has logged more than 30 years in the CS profession.

And while CS salaries have seen slow, but steady increases over the years, it’s that general lack of understanding and appreciation for the critical (and very difficult) job that CS professionals do every day that continues to suppress the discipline’s true potential.