Mohonasen graduate working at Albany Med following BOCES Sterile Processing program

Class of 2021 Mohonasen and Capital Region BOCES graduate Carrera Meyer-Hill is proving she is a cut above the rest, building a successful career helping surgeons in the operating rooms at Albany Medical Center while also building her future as a surgical technician.

Carrera Meyer-Hill was hired at Albany Medical Center as a sterile processing technician upon graduating from Mohonasen and Capital Region BOCES.

“Transitioning from BOCES to Albany Med was smooth. I already knew the scenery and how to do the job, which made me super comfortable because this is a serious job to do at a young age,” she said.

Meyer-Hill works day shifts at Albany Medical Center, helping the 35 operating rooms run smoothly by working with others to prepare and sterilize the “carts” containing the proper surgical equipment for each surgery. This work includes ensuring the right equipment is on each cart and that the instruments are sterile and ready for the surgical team to perform.

She was prepared for the job by the BOCES Sterile Processing Technician program, which teaches students how to decontaminate, inspect, package, and sterilize equipment and devices used in health care. These items can range from very complex medical devices to simple hand-held surgical instrumentation and are essential to patient care and successful patient outcomes.

As part of their learning, students spend class time each week at Albany Medical Center, learning how the hospital sterilizes medical equipment for procedures, as well as prepare equipment under the watchful eye of hospital staff.

Meyer-Hill said she loves working at Albany Medical Center. “I love how my talent has been noticed and appreciated,” she said, specifically citing her supervisor in the bustling sterile processing department, Roy Buckley, and BOCES teacher Jeff Landry, who also works at Albany Medical Center, in preparing her and creating a great working environment.

When not working, Meyer-Hill is attending Schenectady County Community College and completing the prerequisite courses needed to enroll in a surgical tech program.