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
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…
Read More
“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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
(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…
Read More
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…
Read More
