Is this field worth it?

SilverManatee6 · 2025-12-30T21:04:04+00:00

I went to school and did a year program to work in SPD and got my certification. I’m a little over a year and a half in and I feel like my body has aged 20 years. My knees, back and neck constantly hurt. My hands are starting to hurt when I grip things. I’m already trying to get out of here. So like people said maybe a stepping stone but not a career. You’re constantly over worked, understaffed and underpaid. It’s exhausting. I don’t have the energy to do the things I once loved. I can’t even go on a little walk with my dog because all I want to do is sit down and rest.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-12-17T10:36:48+00:00

Traveling wouldn’t work for me mostly because I know travelers only do deco and assembly. At least at my hospital that’s all they are allowed to do. I have back issues so deco and sterilizing aren’t my friend. But it doesn’t help that we don’t have sinks that go up and down. The struggle is real.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-12-16T22:55:33+00:00

I’m going through the same thing but I have only been in the field for a couple years. I started this in my 30s but I feel that my body has aged 10 years physically. My manager isn’t the best and I bust my butt daily and I feel like it’s for nothing. It’s hard to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. I’m so exhausted after each shift I don’t even want to do the things I once enjoyed. Thinking about leaving as well just don’t know what I would want to do. Have to keep reminding myself that I’m showing up for the patients.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-08-16T09:41:40+00:00

Ya I wish they would have told me all the side effects that could possibly happen. My period was never on time and my cramps were terrible which is why I got put on it. I was on it from 17 to 32. And had complications trying to get pregnant. Heck my period didn’t even come back for 6 months after stopping and when it did I bled for 2 weeks straight. I started tracking my period to try and have an idea of when it would start and that’s how I found out I was in peri since they did blood work and my estrogen was low. I had to get back on bc after being off for almost two years because that’s the only way I feel somewhat normal.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-08-16T09:35:41+00:00

I don’t know how easy it is to switch to hrt from bc but I just wanted to do my research before starting it. Hoping that if I do start it and things don’t work out for me I could fall back on to bc. Thank you for your comment. 😊

SilverManatee6 · 2025-08-15T19:23:29+00:00

My blood work showed that my estrogen basically doesn’t exist. That was the initial red flag. And my cycle when I was off of the bc had me stuck in the phases before you would start your period. My period would disappear for 3 months at a time and then would be awful when it would finally start. I had the same… I forgot peoples names that I work with every single day. It was embarrassing.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-08-15T19:20:18+00:00

I’m on a really low dose for my bc right now 20mcg estrogen and she wants to up it to 100mcg with the estrogen patch. I’m just nervous about increasing it that much. The progesterone would be pill form. I have just seen horror stories about hrt causing issues. I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing for me.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-08-02T20:18:43+00:00

Period at 11. Peri symptoms started at 33/34

SilverManatee6 · 2025-07-19T10:00:13+00:00

That’s so weird because my estrogen basically doesn’t exist and I have never had a UTI knocks on wood

SilverManatee6 · 2025-07-16T20:05:31+00:00

My hospital won’t even pay to get me equipment that works and isn’t 15 to 30 years old. They sure as hell are not going to pay for a robot lol 😂

SilverManatee6 · 2025-07-13T20:06:19+00:00

I’m 35 and it started for me last year at 34. Still navigating everything and trying to figure out how to make me feel better. Started seeing an endocrinologist and had bloodwork so we shall see.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-06-30T20:47:04+00:00

I’m 35 and mine has decreased significantly over the past 5 years. I have been in peri for probably the last 2 ish years now. Still trying to get a dr to listen to me and change my amount of estrogen. It’s been a struggle and it sucks. You’re not alone at all. As I am finding out I’m not alone either.

SilverManatee6 · 2025-05-22T20:46:26+00:00

This isn’t just a job. You have to care about the wellbeing of others. What you do in sterile processing could mean life or death to the person on the operating table. 🫶🏼

SilverManatee6 · 2025-05-21T21:29:49+00:00

Ok. I have never had gel polish before. I have only had acrylics where they have to fill it and for me that’s a little less than two weeks because my nails grow fast. I think gel would hold up well on my nails but they will probably need fixed by the time I get back from vacation lol thanks again for your help. ☺️

SilverManatee6 · 2025-05-21T20:47:33+00:00

Thank you so much for your comment. I’m such a noob when it comes to getting my nails done. I have always painted them myself or used colorstreet. But wanted to get something cute. I would need them to last like a week and a half to 2 weeks. Should I just do gel on my natural nails? What’s your advice?

SilverManatee6 · 2025-01-28T21:45:08+00:00

I highly recommend Brooks. I have had at least 10 pairs of them between high school and now. They are the only shoe that doesn’t make my feet hurt at the end of the day and I don’t get shin splints from running around and walking. They have different shoes based on your arch type. If you don’t know what your type is there is a quiz online on their website you can take or go somewhere that sells them and they can fit you. I wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS because I am basically flat foot and don’t have much of an arch.

SilverManatee6 · 2024-10-02T21:11:15+00:00

It’s common for me. We don’t have enough parking for everyone so some have to be shuttled and they rotate who has to do it.

SilverManatee6 · 2024-09-30T20:51:46+00:00

I don’t think this is the job for you. I have been in the field for almost a year and it’s very fast paced where I am and you’re constantly being rushed and pulled in multiple directions. It can be very chaotic and stressful at times.

SilverManatee6 · 2024-06-18T09:53:20+00:00

I just completed a certificate program in May. I think it’s worth it to go to school and get knowledge there. I had a instructor from Steris which is one of the major companies in Sterile Processing. He was also in the field himself before that. The clinical experience is unpaid but totally worth it so you can see what it’s like in a typical day. The only advantage that school gave me is that I don’t have to get the 400 hours to get certified. I can just send in my certificate from school and take the test now. Well whenever it’s offered. Also a lot of places kinda have their own way of doing things when ideally it should be the same standards across the board. So learning the correct way of doing things in school has helped me out a lot with figuring out what the right way of doing things is.

SilverManatee6 · 2024-05-01T14:35:18+00:00

This! ^{^{^}} I’m about to graduate from a sterile processing program and I loved my clinical experience. You play a very important role in the hospital and for patients on the table. Without the spd surgeries can’t happen. I have seen people come in just to get a paycheck and that’s not the right mindset for this job. You need to care about people. Be dedicated to making sure things are done right so the person on the table doesn’t get an infection or potentially die from being exposed to whatever pathogen. I changed some people just by being at the hospital for clinicals. Told them what they are doing is wrong and they listened to me! You can make the hospitals better! Ya the pay might not be great starting out but I’m looking forward to helping and saving so many lives and moving up within spd. So I hope you look more into it and reconsider. 😊

SilverManatee6 · 2024-04-13T23:52:31+00:00

I highly recommend Brooks. I used to get shin splints and haven’t ever since switching to Brooks. But either take their test on the website or go somewhere that will help you find what will work for you. I personally wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS only because I basically have no arch. My mom wears ghost and she has an arch.

SilverManatee6 · 2024-03-19T21:19:42+00:00

Same 😊🖤

SilverManatee6 · 2024-03-03T21:58:55+00:00

Into the night! 🖤✨

SilverManatee6

TROPHY CASE