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Sterile processing technician training in Iowa

3 sterile processing programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

3 schools offer these sterile processing programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Medical equipment preparers, with job titles such as sterile processing technician, clean and sterilize surgical instruments and other healthcare equipment and assemble instrument trays. The job usually asks for a high school diploma or equivalent and a few days to a year of on-the-job training, though some employers ask for a postsecondary certificate.1

In Iowa, 2 of the 3 programs take students without a high school diploma and 1 asks for a diploma or equivalent.

All 3 are the same kind of program: sterile processing technician course.

See the 3 programs

How much does sterile processing training cost in Iowa?

$745 to $795

is what the 3 programs with a price cost if you pay yourself

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 3 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
None of the 3 programs report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
None of the 3 programs report it
Length
Not enough data
3 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Iowa may also offer sterile processing training. How these figures are made

Is there free sterile processing training in Iowa?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 3 sterile processing programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

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3 programs

  • Sterile processing technician courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Sterile Processing/Supply Technician

    Des Moines Area Community College

    Ankeny

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Des Moines Area Community College, AnkenySterile processing technician course · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$745
    Program website, Sterile Processing/Supply Technician at Des Moines Area Community College
    More details about Sterile Processing/Supply Technician at Des Moines Area Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    12 weeks, 5 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $745
    Program website, Sterile Processing/Supply Technician at Des Moines Area Community College

  • Sterile processing technician courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Central Sterilization Service Technician

    Kirkwood Community College

    Cedar Rapids

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Kirkwood Community College, Cedar RapidsSterile processing technician course · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$755
    School website, Central Sterilization Service Technician at Kirkwood Community College
    More details about Central Sterilization Service Technician at Kirkwood Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    10 weeks, 10 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $144
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $755
    School website, Central Sterilization Service Technician at Kirkwood Community College

  • Sterile processing technician courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Sterile Processing

    Iowa Western Community College

    Council Bluffs

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Iowa Western Community College, Council BluffsSterile processing technician course · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$795
    Program website, Sterile Processing at Iowa Western Community College
    More details about Sterile Processing at Iowa Western Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    11 weeks, 6 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $182
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $795
    Program website, Sterile Processing at Iowa Western Community College

How to pay for sterile processing training in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for sterile processing training in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for sterile processing training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for sterile processing training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Sterile processing technician training in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Omaha and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Iowa

How sterile processing training compares with the rest of allied health: Allied health programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa sterile processing program numbers come from

Which Iowa sterile processing programs are on this list?

These are the sterile processing programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa sterile processing programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about sterile processing training in Iowa

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Department of Labor, O*NET OnLine: Medical Equipment Preparers
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List