(We recently received this anonymous letter from one of our listeners. It is a poignant reminder of the reality of far too many Sterile Processing departments and earnest professionals in our industry. And the questions they ask need real answers…) “I don’t know what to do. I am new to sterile processing and am horrified…
Read More
Throughout my career as a Sterile Processing manager and later system director, finding qualified technicians for our departments was always a challenge. Even finding professionals with previous hospital experience was not always a winning situation, when certain bad habits had to be unlearned and it wasn’t always clear why the technician left their old job…
Read More
There are few words that instill a greater sense of epic-ness in the hearts and minds of most people than the word “Olympics.” Even if you’re not the kind of person who TiVos every second of Curling at the Winter Olympics, there’s something undeniably exciting about watching the world’s best athletes battle against each other for…
Read More
Ouch! When one of your team members walks out of your office after tendering their resignation, one thought probably comes to mind . . . “Ouch, that hurt.” But the time for self-pity is short lived. Although some resignations carry with them the sting of personal defeat, others are tinged with bitter-sweet excitement for a new opportunity…
Read More
In 1966, the indomitable genius of Walt Disney forever seared the words of a catchy folk tune into a nation’s imagination. The phrase was simple, yet profoundly in tune with human experience. Brotherhood of man, world peace, nationality, locality — all rolled up into six words and one water-themed amusement park ride. . . “It’s A Small…
Read More
Finding the right people for the job is 90% of the battle for Sterile Processing excellence. Sure, you need to have adequate training, smooth processes, and a common goal — but if you have all that without great people, well, we all know what that looks like. And it’s not pretty. But where do you go…
Read More
One unseen Fogarty insert that makes its way back to the OR can cost your facility upwards of $10K if it is discovered on the sterile field, not to mention the unthinkable possibility of the instrument being reused on an unknowing patient. I need not even mention the danger lurking in poorly processed Ortho shavers, Andrews…
Read More
(A few years ago, my SPD department in Louisville Kentucky had the highest performance cultural assessment scores of any department in an entire health system of 17+ hospitals. Here are a few concepts that worked for us…) If you work in a hospital of any size you are probably familiar with the idea of an annual facility culture…
Read More
I’ve got nothing against pizza. Believe me. I’d push a grandma out of the way if she were holding up the line for some buffalo ranch chicken pizza. So trust me when I say, this is not some kind of veiled attack against a menu choice. Instead, it’s a frontal assault against lazy leadership, uncreative…
Read More
Before there is an insurrection from the accreditation wing of the Sterile Processing world, let me just come out and offer a disclaimer right here at the outset — I support continuing education credits. I think they give our industry, in particular, a helpful dose of standardization and incentive for growth in knowledge and professional expertise….
Read More
