Requirements for the Examination

Current CRCST status is required in order to take the CIS examination. Additionally you must complete and provide documentation (on the exam application as indicated) of a minimum of 200 hours of hands-on experience in a Central Sterile Department, on a paid or volunteer basis, prior to testing. These hours must be broken down into the following areas of experience (as fully detailed on the exam application, available under the Forms & Documents section):

1. Instrument Decontamination (92 hours)
2. Instrument Assembly (92 hours)
3. Instrument Information System Management (12 hours)
4. Surgery Observation (4 hours)

Though provisional testing is an option for the CRCST exam, it is not available for CIS examinations. All hours must be completed in full before applying to take the exam. Hours must have been accumulated within the past five years.