Program overview

Program length: 6 months
Class size: 3-5 students
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

This internship is for students enrolled in a Central Services Technician program at one of our affiliated schools: GateWay Community College, East Valley Institute of Technology, or Pima Medical Institute. A central services technician is responsible for decontamination, cleaning, processing, assembling, sterilizing, storing, and distributing medical devices and supplies.

Graduation and certification

Upon completion of the Central Service Technology Program, you will receive a certificate of completion from your respective college.

Upon completion of the program and 400 hours of hands-on experience, you are eligible to take the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association examination to become a Certified Registered Central Service Technician.

Application process

Once you are enrolled in the Central Service Technology Program at one of our affiliated schools, you are eligible to participate in the clinical rotation by making arrangements through your college program director.

Admission is based on academic performance and other criteria. Students are accepted during the spring and fall terms.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites are determined by GateWay Community College, East Valley Institute of Technology, and Pima Medical Institute. You must successfully complete the required program coursework before you are eligible to complete the clinical rotation.

In addition to certain health care and medical terminology courses, you must have your:

• High school diploma or GED
• Current health care provider CPR card

Non-U.S. citizen applicants

Admission to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is open to U.S. workers in the four categories below. Therefore, visa sponsorship is not available.

1. U.S. citizens
2. U.S. nationals
3. Lawful permanent residents
4. Asylees and refugees

Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Scores from the speaking portion of the exam are given particular consideration in admission decisions. Learn more about the exam and register online at the Educational Testing Service.

The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences code for the TOEFL iBT is 5784.

Educational transcripts from schools outside the U.S. must be translated (if they are not already in English) and evaluated for U.S. equivalence by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. Please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of qualified companies. The applicant pays for the examination and credential-evaluation services.

How to apply

Our affiliated schools process the admissions and applications for their Central Service Technician Program. Learn more about the application process for our affiliated schools:

• GateWay Community College — Hospital Central Service Technician
• East Valley Institute of Technology — Sterile Processing Technician
• Pima Medical Institute — Sterile Processing Technician Certificate Training Program

The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences program director works with the above schools to place students at Mayo Clinic.

Tuition and financial aid

Tuition rates are determined by and paid to your respective school. Mayo Clinic does charge a tuition sharing fee of $250 per student. This fee is billed directly to your school.

Mayo Clinic provides your scrub attire during your rotations.

You are responsible for your own living accommodations and transportation.

You may hold outside employment during the program if it does not conflict with your program responsibilities.

Curriculum

Specialty surgical teams provide care to patients requiring procedures involving the neck, breast, stomach, small bowel, liver, pancreas, and spleen. In the general surgery area, gallbladder surgery, appendectomies, and many bowel resections are performed using laparoscopic technology. Other laparoscopic procedures include inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, splenectomy, adrenalectomy, and lymph node biopsy prior to liver resection. Many specialty surgical instruments are handled on this rotation.

The outpatient clinic rotation includes processing instruments for ophthalmic surgeries with low-risk patients who do not require general anesthesia or hospitalization. One such example is cataract surgery. You also process instruments and equipment used in the various specialties at the clinic.

Schedule

For the majority of the rotation, your learning schedule includes eight-hour days, two to five days a week.

Accreditation information

See accreditation information for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.