Healthcare Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 31-9093

Medical Equipment Preparers

O*NET task statements lead this Medical Equipment Preparers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Massage Therapists, Physical Therapist Aides, Healthcare Support Workers, All Other, Occupational Therapy Aides.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Medical Equipment Preparers: Massage Therapists ($58K) , Physical Therapist Aides ($35K) , Healthcare Support Workers, All Other ($48K) , Occupational Therapy Aides ($39K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Medical Equipment Preparers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 31-9093 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed
  2. 2. Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization
  3. 3. Record sterilizer test results
  4. 4. Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed
  5. 5. Examine equipment to detect leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair
  6. 6. Report defective equipment to appropriate supervisors or staff
  7. 7. Disinfect and sterilize equipment, such as respirators, hospital beds, or oxygen or dialysis equipment, using sterilizers, aerators, or w…
  8. 8. Maintain records of inventory or equipment usage and order medical instruments or supplies when inventory is low
  9. 9. Stock crash carts or other medical supplies
  10. 10. Start equipment and observe gauges and equipment operation to detect malfunctions and to ensure equipment is operating to prescribed stan…
  11. 11. Check sterile supplies to ensure that they are not outdated
  12. 12. Purge wastes from equipment by connecting equipment to water sources and flushing water through systems

Medical Equipment Preparers: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 31-9093 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.5 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.5
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.4
  3. 3. Quality Control Analysis 3.4
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.3
  5. 5. Operations Monitoring 3.3
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  7. 7. Speaking 3.1
  8. 8. Troubleshooting 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.5
  2. 2. English Language 3.9
  3. 3. Biology 3.4
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.2
  5. 5. Public Safety and Security 3.1
  6. 6. Administrative 3.0
National median after O*NET task lead
$47,700
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed
$48K
National median
↑ +10%
Growth 2024-2034
10,900
Annual openings
77,420
Estimated US jobs
Massage Therapists
Highest-pay peer · $58K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Medical Equipment Preparers

1. Massachusetts $58,580
2. Washington $58,830
3. Delaware $53,300
4. New York $57,320
5. New Jersey $50,280
6. Hawaii $51,630
7. California $61,370
8. Alaska $49,920
9. Rhode Island $51,460
10. Minnesota $50,070

Other Healthcare Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Healthcare Support Workers, All Other $48,430
  2. 2. Occupational Therapy Aides $39,160
  3. 3. Phlebotomists $45,230
  4. 4. Physical Therapist Aides $35,240
  5. 5. Massage Therapists $58,450
  6. 6. Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers $38,150

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Medical Equipment Preparers (SOC 31-9093). The national OEWS median is $47,700 inside Healthcare Support Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Massage Therapists, Physical Therapist Aides, Healthcare Support Workers, All Other, Occupational Therapy Aides. Lead published task: Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed.

Employment Projections expect +10% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 10,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Massachusetts at $58,580. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Massage Therapists at $58,450. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Medical Equipment Preparers pay-rank #6 in Healthcare Support Occupations

Among 17 detailed Healthcare Support Occupations with a published OEWS median, Medical Equipment Preparers is pay-rank #6, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 31-9093 · national median $47,700 · upper third of Healthcare Support Occupations (#6/17). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Medical Equipment Preparers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 31-9093

Massachusetts · top state for Medical Equipment Preparers

$59K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$59K · behind Massachusetts

Massage Therapists

Highest-pay peer vs Medical Equipment Preparers · $58K

Physical Therapist Aides

Lower-pay peer beside Medical Equipment Preparers · $35K

Compare Medical Equipment Preparers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Medical Equipment Preparers with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Medical Equipment Preparers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Healthcare Support Occupations titles sit near Medical Equipment Preparers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Medical Equipment Preparers is pay-rank #6 of 17 detailed Healthcare Support Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Dental Assistants ($48K), Healthcare Support Workers, All Other ($48K), Massage Therapists ($58K), Physical Therapist Assistants ($68K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do medical equipment preparers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Medical Equipment Preparers. Leading ones include: Operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed; Clean instruments to prepare them for sterilization; Record sterilizer test results; Organize and assemble routine or specialty surgical instrument trays or other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for medical equipment preparers? ▼
For SOC 31-9093, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.5), Monitoring (3.4), Quality Control Analysis (3.4), Active Listening (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Medical Equipment Preparers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $47,700 as the national median for Medical Equipment Preparers. The published 10th-90th range is $36,410 to $69,950. Beside Massage Therapists ($58,450), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Medical Equipment Preparers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Medical Equipment Preparers is +10%. Projected annual openings: about 10,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Medical Equipment Preparers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Medical Equipment Preparers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Medical Equipment Preparers? ▼
Massachusetts ($58,580), Washington ($58,830), Delaware ($53,300) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Medical Equipment Preparers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 31-9093. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Medical Equipment Preparers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics