Tejal Somvanshi
Hospitals across the country desperately need workers for a well-paying medical job most people have never heard of. Surgical equipment sterilization offers young workers salaries up to $70,000 yearly with less than a year of training and no college degree.
The job involves cleaning and sterilizing surgical tools used in hospitals and medical centers – work that’s crucial for patient safety but largely invisible to the public.
Fatima el Idrissi discovered this career path through a Facebook post and completed her training in 2023. “I had never heard of this job,” she said. “Now I’ve got a first step in a hospital, so I can go on to other medical fields if I want.”
Today, she earns $34 an hour working in a New York City hospital owned by Northwell Health – double what she made as a child-care aide.
People who clean and prepare surgical instruments typically earn between $50,000 and $70,000 to start. The national pay averages $74,898 yearly, with wages ranging from $57,113 to $98,221 based on experience and location. Most positions include benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
For many young people struggling with sky-high college costs, this career offers a way forward. Shyann Lynch, 34, discovered the opportunity after Googling “highest paying job with the shortest amount of time” for training. She had previously managed an Olive Garden restaurant in Brooklyn before making the switch.
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Training programs typically cost around $1,500, with scholarships often available to cover most expenses. Students complete several months of classroom learning followed by 400 hours of hands-on clinical work. At LaGuardia Community College in New York, more than 80% of students finish with a paid job in the field.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects these jobs will grow 6% between 2021 and 2031, faster than the national average for all jobs. This growth comes as hospitals struggle to fill these essential but little-known positions.
For Gen Z job seekers, the opportunity matches well with their career interests. About 18% of 2025 graduates plan to work in healthcare, making it the second most popular field behind business. Many young workers appreciate that the role can serve as a stepping stone to higher-paying healthcare jobs like surgical technicians (earning around $100,000) or radiology technicians (making up to $80,000).
The need for workers is significant. In 2024, about 6.2 million new jobs opened that didn’t require a bachelor’s degree, with 72% in understaffed industries like healthcare.
This reality offers a different picture than what many young workers expect from the job market. While sterile processing technicians can earn up to $70,000 – which many consider the minimum for financial stability – surveys show Gen Z’s definition of “financial success” is much higher, with some targeting nearly $588,000 annually.
Despite this gap between expectations and reality, healthcare roles like surgical equipment sterilization provide stable, well-paying work without the crushing student debt that comes with a four-year degree. For young people willing to learn about these less visible healthcare jobs, the path to a middle-class salary might be shorter than they think.
