You most likely already have the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) certification, but if you don't, the CRCST is a prerequisite for the Certified Instrument Specialist (CIS) certification. To learn more about the CRCST click here.
The CIS is one of the best certifications to have (besides the CRCST of course) because it represents the core of our jobs in Sterile Processing.........Surgical Instruments! What is a Sterile Processing Technician who doesn't know, recognize, and understand surgical instruments? Obtaining the CIS is an incredible badge of honor.
Now with that said, it is important to know how to study for this certification. This is one of the only certifications that will require 2 books to study from. That's right, 2 books! Not only will you need to study the CIS Instrument Resource Manual from Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), you will need to study The World of Surgical Instruments book developed by industry leader Rick Schultz. With the CIS certification it is imperative you know all the basics of the CRCST exam, but also a major variety of surgical instrumentation from all surgical areas to include Ortho, OB/GYN, Neuro, Cardiovascular, and General to name a few.
But I don't want you to be purchasing everything at full cost, we don't make enough money as it is. So I want to make sure you have the right discounts in your access to save some money. You can save 10% off The World of Surgical Instruments by using code "SGBOOK" at checkout from www.instrumentlearning.com. Rick Schultz also has a fabulous instrument flashcard set you can get at 10% as well using code "SGCARDS".
The book I learned instrumentation on that is still an awesome book at a decent price is Differentiating Surgical Instruments. I highly recommend this book as well.
If you want to test your knowledge and fine tune your proficiency for the CIS exam, I highly suggest you checkout the CIS Resources developed by yours truly, The Sterile Guy. These CIS Resources were specifically developed to focus on pertinent areas of the CIS exam to help you pass.
Lastly, I have a YouTube video which further explains how to pass the CIS exam. Click Here to watch.
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