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Medical Equipment Preparers: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 31-9093.00 · Sterile Processing Programs
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Medical Equipment Preparers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for CENTRAL STERILE PROCESSING TECHNICIAN (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CENTRAL STERILE PROCESSING TECHNICIAN | 1133 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What medical equipment preparers earn, by state
California has the highest state median for medical equipment preparers ($61,370) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($28,310), across the 52 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $61,370 | $29.50 | 8,720 |
| Washington | $58,830 | $28.28 | 1,670 |
| Massachusetts | $58,580 | $28.16 | 1,900 |
| New York | $57,320 | $27.56 | 5,190 |
| Delaware | $53,300 | $25.63 | 190 |
| Hawaii | $51,630 | $24.82 | 220 |
| Rhode Island | $51,460 | $24.74 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $50,280 | $24.18 | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | $50,070 | $24.07 | 1,390 |
| Alaska | $49,920 | $24.00 | 220 |
| Vermont | $48,990 | $23.56 | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $48,900 | $23.51 | 380 |
| Oregon | $48,890 | $23.51 | 1,570 |
| Maryland | $48,680 | $23.40 | 1,160 |
| District of Columbia | $48,670 | $23.40 | 310 |
| Wyoming | $48,210 | $23.18 | 120 |
| Illinois | $48,050 | $23.10 | 2,800 |
| Connecticut | $47,980 | $23.07 | 1,060 |
| Utah | $47,980 | $23.07 | 600 |
| Georgia | $47,850 | $23.00 | 1,860 |
| Colorado | $47,700 | $22.93 | 1,950 |
| Wisconsin | $47,570 | $22.87 | 1,380 |
| Tennessee | $46,990 | $22.59 | 1,590 |
| Texas | $46,970 | $22.58 | 4,520 |
| Kentucky | $46,880 | $22.54 | 1,120 |
| Maine | $46,860 | $22.53 | 510 |
| Arizona | $46,790 | $22.50 | 2,320 |
| Nevada | $46,640 | $22.43 | 510 |
| Virginia | $46,580 | $22.40 | 1,840 |
| Idaho | $46,450 | $22.33 | 580 |
| Florida | $45,890 | $22.06 | 5,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,820 | $22.03 | 3,450 |
| Michigan | $45,670 | $21.96 | 2,420 |
| Ohio | $45,540 | $21.90 | 3,210 |
| Kansas | $45,280 | $21.77 | 740 |
| Indiana | $45,210 | $21.74 | 1,750 |
| North Carolina | $45,130 | $21.70 | 2,900 |
| West Virginia | $44,830 | $21.55 | 530 |
| Montana | $44,670 | $21.47 | 330 |
| Missouri | $43,480 | $20.91 | 1,970 |
| Oklahoma | $43,460 | $20.89 | 690 |
| South Carolina | $42,510 | $20.44 | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | $42,330 | $20.35 | 480 |
| Nebraska | $41,480 | $19.94 | 550 |
| Iowa | $39,930 | $19.20 | 590 |
| North Dakota | $38,910 | $18.71 | 350 |
| Arkansas | $38,100 | $18.32 | 320 |
| New Mexico | $36,720 | $17.66 | 300 |
| Louisiana | $35,960 | $17.29 | 620 |
| Alabama | $35,800 | $17.21 | 1,000 |
| Mississippi | $35,160 | $16.90 | 350 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,310 | $13.61 | 140 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · Sterile Processing Programs at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).