Medical Device Reprocessing Sterile Processing

The certificate runs 40 weeks full-time at our Calgary campus and includes an 8-week supervised practicum. It is one of our longer programs because sterile processing is a technical, safety-critical field.

You must be at least 18 by your start date and have Grade 10 English, or a Canadian Language Benchmark of 7 or higher if English is your second language. This program also asks for two years of post-secondary training in health care or life sciences.

Yes. Medical Device Reprocessing is delivered in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS). That connection shapes both what you learn and where you can be placed.

MDRTs decontaminate, inspect, assemble, package, and sterilize surgical and medical instruments so they are safe for the next patient. They keep hospital operating rooms and clinics supplied with sterile equipment.

You complete an 8-week full-time practicum in a reprocessing department before you graduate, working alongside experienced staff in a hospital central processing setting.

This is a 40-week program, so it runs a few intakes each year rather than monthly starts. The next start date is shown at the top of this page, and an admissions advisor can confirm the upcoming intakes and check that you meet the entry requirements.

ALIS puts starting pay around $20–$22/hr (about $42,000 a year full-time), typical pay at $22.50–$24.55/hr (about $48,000), and experienced pay at $30–$32/hr (about $62,000). Wages are Government of Alberta ALIS 2023 Alberta Wage & Salary Survey and Job Bank Canada figures. The hourly rate is the reliable anchor; annual amounts assume full-time work, so part-time or casual roles earn less.

88.89% of ABES graduates from this program are employed. On the wider Alberta picture: strong long-term demand from boomer retirements (ALIS “Hot” forecast; Job Bank rates the near term “moderate”); about 5,190 employed. Certification is mandatory to be hired.

Alberta Health Services hospital sterile-processing departments (Rockyview, Foothills, Peter Lougheed, South Health Campus, Alberta Children’s) are the dominant employer; private surgical facilities (Canadian Surgery Solutions, Clearpoint Health Network); dental, eye and specialty clinics.

With experience alone: Senior / lead / charge MDR technician, MDR educator/trainer, or quality & tracking coordinator. ALIS notes advancement is limited without further education. Ceiling around $31–$32/hr (low-to-mid $60,000s full-time). With further study: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): ~2-yr diploma → ~$31.91/hr (~$51,571/yr) — the clearest step up. Health Care Aide or OR aide/attendant: lateral moves into hands-on patient care at similar pay. Registered Nurse (RN): 4-yr BScN — the longer route to the highest pay.