Two students from Fresno EOC’s LCC/YouthBuild Fresno have just been placed at Valley Children’s Hospital for a 400-hour internship. They are learning the skills necessary to become a Sterile Processing Technician, responsible for the maintenance of medical devices and supplies needed in patient care, especially in the operating room.
Viviana Godinez and Little Tree Hirajeta began their internships in July, after completing a 12-week course at YouthBuild Fresno. Viviana explained her new role as a Sterile Processing Technician intern. “My job is to keep you safe before and after surgery by decontaminating, packaging, and sterilizing operating equipment.”
YouthBuild Fresno, a program under Fresno EOC Local Conservation Corps, is a construction and healthcare training program, funded by the US Department of Labor. The first Sterile Processing Technician course was offered in 2019, allowing students age 18 to 24 to begin their technician certification, with hands-on training and classroom-based learning.
Viviana and Little Tree are the first students to be placed at Valley Children’s Hospital with an internship. Little Tree says, “I wanted to work in the medical field with the goal of becoming a registered nurse. Receiving my Sterile Processing Technician Certification and gaining experience in a hospital setting will definitely support my career path toward nursing.”
Both Viviana and Little Tree are still enrolled in YouthBuild Fresno and are paid through the program while completing their unpaid internship at Valley Children’s Hospital.
Once the 400-hour hands-on internship is completed, Viviana and Little Tree will be eligible to take an exam for certified Sterile Processing Technicians. Starting pay for the position is typically $18 per hour.
If you are interested in learning about the LCC/YouthBuild Fresno’s Sterile Processing Technician training, call (559) 264-1048 or click here.
For media inquiries, please contact pr@fresnoeoc.org