Annika Van Noord: Success can come quickly at ECC

Only a year and a half ago, I was at the point in my job where I had leveled out in pay and wasn’t interested in moving up more with the company. None of the jobs in my area felt right for me. So, when I received a flyer in the mail for ECC’s technical programs, I was immediately intrigued. I personally was most interested in the Sterile Processing (SP) course, which prepares you for a job in the medical field in just one semester. Each week, the class met once for a lecture and had one day of on-site training with clinicals at a local hospital. Looking at the schedule, I realized I could do this while balancing my other two jobs, so I signed up.  

It wasn’t until after I enrolled in the class that I realized what a unique and specialized job sterile processing is. The SP team cleans, prepares, and sterilizes trays of instruments for surgeries. Any facility that performs surgeries would be unable to operate without a sterile processing department. During my clinicals, I came to appreciate the workflow of a day in the department. Each day begins with assessing which types of surgeries are scheduled and which are ongoing. Once we have a plan, we work as a team to ensure all instruments are prepared and sterile for surgery. Cleaning and organizing each delicate instrument is something I’ve found I am good at, and I enjoy. 

At the end of the course was the program’s job fair, where I interviewed a handful of local hospitals and agencies. After the job fair, I was offered multiple positions. Still, I had such a great experience working at my clinical site that I interviewed for a position at the same medical group’s other location. I connected with the hiring managers and was soon hired onto their team. I will be nearing one year at my job soon, and I am so glad I took the chance to take this class. I am also grateful for the position and experience I have now. 

Annika Van Noord, '25

Carpentersville, Illinois 

Basic Vocational Certificate- Sterile Processing and Distribution