One way Project for Pride in Living (PPL) creates long-term economic stability for individuals and families is by providing modern career readiness services and resources. Our Career Readiness programs support people in learning useful technical skills, earning industry certifications and finding general job support to ensure they have the resources needed to find and maintain a career that fits them best.
This summer, PPL launched a new Career Readiness program: The Sterile Processing Technician Pathway. This accelerated, ten-week program offered participants the opportunity to gain specialized training, hands-on experience and the skills needed to build a career in healthcare. By September, our team was proud to celebrate the graduation of its first-ever Sterile Processing Technician Pathway cohort at the program’s inaugural graduation ceremony. For the graduates, the ceremony commemorated months of hard work and training and marked the beginning of a successful career in healthcare.
Carlo Bruno, PPL’s Director of Career Services and Program Director for the Sterile Processing Technician Pathway, has been closely involved in developing and leading the program. He shares more about what sets this program apart from others, and the impact of the recent graduation milestone.
Q: Tell us about PPL’s new Sterile Processing Technician Pathway. What is unique about the program, and how does it benefit PPL participants?
The PPL Sterile Processing Technician Pathway is unique by being a ten-week program facilitated by PPL Career Services staff, in partnership with Minneapolis College instructors.
The program includes core PPL Career Readiness curriculum, which focuses on building the following professional skills:
- Effective communication;
- Professional presence-building;
- Financial empowerment through budgeting and credit-building;
- Resume writing;
- Interview preparation; and
- Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
PPL coursework also includes building artificial intelligence (AI) fluency in a healthcare setting. Minneapolis College curriculum focuses more closely on healthcare-specific subject matter around decontamination, infection control, sterilization methods and packaging, human anatomy, and quality assurance.
Together, all coursework prepares graduates to sit for the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) exam. Participants benefit from this program being an accelerated course model, which means those who complete it receive a Minneapolis College certificate in both Sterile Processing Technician and Endoscopy Technician work. After they receive their certificate, graduates participate in a 12-hour clinical hosted by program employers to put their learned skills into practice.
Q: How does the combination of classroom learning, hands-on training and work experience prepare participants for the workforce?
The program’s combination of all three elements support graduates by building the skills they are gaining throughout the program, from start to finish.
First, there is a foundation built in the PPL classroom content on how to show up as your best self as a professional. Next, the technical curriculum is applied in a hands-on manner through Minneapolis College. From there, the clinical work experience is an opportunity to put both skill sets gained into practice with real-world application. This is often the confidence-builder for graduates to move into full-time careers, sometimes with the medical sites that hosted them and got a chance to see how they work in those environments.
Q: PPL celebrated its first cohort of Sterile Processing Technician Pathway graduates in September. What did that milestone mean to you, the graduates and the program?
This is a triumph for all involved — PPL, Minneapolis College, the employer partners and, most of all, the participants who dedicated their time and energy to complete such an accomplishment. It is powerful to watch as a group of strangers build comradery and lifelong connections through the program and continue to support one another as they begin their new careers. In a way, they are pioneers for the next cohort to join PPL for future iterations. We hope to invite graduates back to share their stories of success in the field.
Q: What would you say to people considering enrollment in the Sterile Processing Technician Pathway program, or another PPL Career Pathways program?
Take a chance. Take that leap of faith to start. It is a fantastic opportunity that can open so many doors for someone interested in the field of healthcare. There is no cost to participate. PPL will be there to support you every step of the way! So, what are you waiting for?!