STERIS University: All courses (2024)

Seeing a tidal wave of case carts. Listening to complaints from the OR. Rushing to process devices. It’s easy to forget the real reason sterile processing exists: The Patient. Join, Director of Clinical Education with STERIS, Karen Owens , as she reminds us of the WHY behind WHAT we do and how sterile processing makes a difference to the Patient.

Objectives for this course are:

• Identify the “why” behind the role of sterile processing in patient care
• Discuss key practices that help sterile processing provide quality products to customers
• Explain the direct connection between quality processes in sterile processing and excellent patient outcomes

A storm of staff shortages? It’s more like a hurricane.Finding good staff is one thing, keeping them is another. Join Cody McElroy,Manager of Sterile Processing at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center,and Aaron “Cody” Troutt, Director of Central Sterile at Williamson MedicalCenter, as they discuss ways to engage and retain staff in during thistumultuous time.

Objectives:

• • Implementing a meaningful reward system through personal motivators
  • Engaging Customers to motivate staff performance
  • Mentoring to increase staff performance
  • Using tactics to retain high-performing staff members

Water is used in every applicationof medical device processing. Without it, processing stops. You could say, itis the life’s blood of the processing department. Just as routine blood testscapture health problems, water tests capture quality issues that lead toprocessing problems. Let, Sr Principal Scientist, Herb Kaiser, show you the routine water tests that findthe processing problems lurking in your water.

Objectives:

·List the properties of pure water

·Describe the impact water impurities have onsterile processing activities

·List methods of water testing for impurities ofconcern

Waterquality plays a “critical” role in medical device processing. Ensuring thatquality requires proper design and maintenance of an effective water treatmentsystem. Join Brian Battani, Business Development Manager for Xylem as he sharesthe four steps to an effective SPD water treatment system.

Objectives:

•Describe four steps toobtain ensure an effective water treatment system

•List typical qualitycontrol measures used for water treatment systems

•State requiredmaintenance necessary for peak water treatment system performance

Sterilized, complete, and on time...easier said than done. Every sterile processing supervisor/manager strives to reach and maintain this goal, but do you know how consistently it is reached, or areas for improvement? Join Mark Capel (Chief Digital Officer with STERIS) as he translates the data found in workflow systems into actionable quality improvement initiatives.

Course Objectives:

• List ways that workflow software helps SPD respond in real-time for the unexpected needs of the operating room
• Identify key workflow features that support technician competency
• Develop reports and tools to improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost

Operating like a well-oiled machine is great but being able to brag about it is better. Join John Kimsey, V.P. Processing Optimization and Customer Success, as he shares his formula for a lean SPD and the measurements that prove it!

Objectives:
•Describe the key principles of a Lean SPD.
•List the key measurements used to monitor lean SPD progress.
•Implement lean measurements.

With ashrinking workforce, how do you fill open sterile processing positions? Bycreating a workplace that employees want to be. Join our panel of experts asthey discuss how workforce needs are changing and tactics you need to hire andkeep sterile processing personnel.

Objectives:

• List similarities and differences between thetraditional and non-traditional workforce
• Describe three management activities that build a technician focused department
• Articulate methods to implement workplace flexibility, create a culture ofsafety, and improve work expectations within sterile processing

It’sanother phone call. It’s not the OR yelling about a missing instrument. It’snot a late loaned instrument set. This time it’s the audit room. The auditor justasked about a missing biological indicator test result. All three calls mayhave been avoided with a good quality management system (QMS), but do you knowwhat a QMS is? Let us introduce you to Quality Management Systems for theSterile Processing Department.

Objectives:

• List the componentsof a quality management system
• Identify elementsspecific for a sterile processing quality management system
• Incorporatestandards, guidance, and regulations into quality management systems

Prions are the protein-based, transmissible causative agents of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (or prion diseases). Prion diseases present a unique risk because although they are not considered contagious they can be transmitted between patients via tissues and reusable medical device surfaces because prions are highly resistant to decontamination. Understanding these diseases is important in the development of facility policies to reduce patient and staff risks. Therefore, it is imperative the Sterile Processing Department (SPD), Operating Room and other department’s supporting clinical and surgical interventions understand these diseases when developing policy and procedures for the use and reprocessing of medical devices.

Course Objectives:

• Introduction to the prions and prion diseases
• Explain the risks associated with prion decontamination
• Review what steps a facility should take to review the risk of prion transmission on reusable devices"

The use of loaned instrumentation varies by each facility, but these days everyone uses loaned trays of some sort, at some time. Proper management and processing of these instruments is critical to patient safety.

Course Objectives:

• Identify the impact on patient safety when loaner trays are mismanaged and improperly reprocessed.
• Discuss HSPA’s loaner policy and documents available to support implementing a structured process.

Are you interested in cutting the clutter and tidying up your sterile processing tracking system or instrument and set database? Profit from the benefits of a well-managed, clean database. Route out redundancies, inaccuracies, and other data fallacies with reports that make it easy. Include everyday management techniques to keep it clean.

Course Objectives:

• Understand the attributes of a clean database
• Identify the four rules of master database management
• Recognize the types of reports that are most helpful for data clean

Why wait for a sterilization failure to happen to improve sterilization processes? Quality management systems (QMS) provides proven methods to find and treat potential problems and sterilization failure. This program will show how sterilization failures fit into your department’s QMS.

Course Objectives:

• Identify sterilization failures
• Identify preventive actions to prevent sterilization failures
• Identify how sterilization failures fit into the departmental Quality Management System (QMS) program

Join Pamela for a free CE webinar to learn training and education techniques and how technology can help you develop a successful learning program.

Course Objectives:

• Identify historical training and education techniques
• Understand how new technology can assist in ongoing education and learning
• Identify challenges moving into a more technology-based learning platform
• Identify tips on how to navigate and develop a successful learning program in the social media age

Moving away from ethylene oxide sterilization in sterile processing may seem complicated and overwhelming. Choosing a different process, confirming devices can be sterilized, safety, training, installation, and quality assurance are just a few considerations. How should a department supervisor move forward with the change? Using a systematic approach to evaluate options and manage the change process can simplify and ease the switch.

Course Objectives:

• Identify important considerations when evaluating a new low temperature sterilization process
• Prepare for implementation of a low temperature sterilization process

Are you positive about your positive pressure rooms? Join Lisa Huber BA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, ACE, FCS, CQIA (Clinical Education Specialist – Midwest Region with STERIS) as she reviews the equipment, processes, and guidelines needed to control the air pressure in your Sterile Processing Department.

Course Objectives:

• Match air pressure requirements to facility rooms
• Identify the components within the air management system
• List ways to manage air pressure within SPD