There are few more dangerous places to work in our nation’s hospitals than the decontamination room of a Central Sterile department. The opportunity for bloodborne pathogen exposure is ever-present, and yet many CS/SPD technicians are daily put at risk of injury by unsafe post-operative instrument preparations. Let’s take a look at the four most common dangers and how…
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“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” -GK Chesterton When it comes to story-telling, some of us in the healthcare profession pretend that such activity is the purview of kindergarten teachers and grandpas, but definitely not our job. Maybe the marketing department can handle it,…
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Few things stressed me out more as a new Sterile Processing leader than walking out of the department on a Friday evening. Unlike your friendly neighborhood office building, most of us don’t have the luxury of closing the SPD door at 5pm on Friday. Instead, we take all the department leaders away — not only from the…
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The one question we hear more than any other in the Sterile Processing world is this: “How do I grow? And quick!” Some of the answers to this may be easy, but they are all painfully counter-cultural. Are you ready? If you’re going to quickly grow your SPD career, here are the first two things…
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60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightline or even the front page of your local newspaper — I’m about to give you five easy ways to get your SPD team immediate media coverage. Not only can you become more well-known than Charlie and the evolution of dance guy overnight, every single one of these tips is super easy to do, and…
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You want it. You need it. Your team is asking every day, “When are we going to get a __________ ?” It was a patient safety issue like, yesterday, and things are only getting dicier by the day. So why haven’t you already cut the PO? Why don’t you already have that shiny new piece…
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(Guest post from Beyond Clean Speakers Bureau member James Carlock) The world of sterile processing is in a state of change right now that I have never seen in my 20+ years in the industry. A short list of big changes occurring in our industry includes: Of all the trends that affect the future of…
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My friend and mentor, Dr. Jeff Thompson, introduced me to the concept of the poverty-healthcare vortex. I initially thought of it as a cycle. However, vortex is a more accurate description as it is a downward spiral for many people in this country. The single greatest threat to health In essence sixty percent of all…
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A few months ago I saw a post floating around Sterile Processing circles asking whether or not technicians should be allowed to talk while on the processing floor. There were a number of comments from CS leaders and technicians on both sides of the debate, and I’m sure a couple of ruffled feathers along the…
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“Johnny is the best.” “Suzy is great.” “Billy is a hard worker.” Whether you are an SPD leader or frontline technician, chances are good you will be needing or writing a letter of recommendation at some point in your career. And as important as these kinds of letters are, it is still difficult to dig…
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