In many processing departments too, much emphasis is placed purely on repetition as the means educating the staff. Unfortunately, this leaves many processing professional ill equipped to make good decisions when problems arise. In these moments, when critical thinking is required, staff members whose education lacks a true understanding of why they are doing the task the way they are will be ill prepared to react appropriately. This also effects staff's ability to participate in risk assessment activities as well.
Incorporating "why" into any department's education program will add quality by creating technicians that not only understand how to do their job but why they do it that way.
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Ask the Educator: A Sterile Processing Podcast
Medical device processing is critically important to the safety of patients everywhere. This podcast from Healthmark, a Getinge company, is about answering questions and sharing knowledge related to sterile processing, endoscopy, infection prevention, biomedical engineering, leadership, and products.
Have a question you would like answered on the show? Send it to our email address [email protected].
The Hosts
Adam Okada has 15+ years of experience in Sterile Processing and is passionate about helping improve the quality of patient care by giving SPD Technicians greater access to education and information. He has worked in just about every position in the Sterile Processing Department as a Case Cart Builder, SPD Tech I, II, and III, Lead Tech, Tracking System Analyst, Supervisor of both SPD and HLD, Manager, and now as an Educator. He is the owner of Sterile Education, the world’s first mobile application dedicated to sterile processing education.
Adam is a Clinical Education Specialist at Healthmark, former Clinical Manager at Beyond Clean, has published articles for IAHCSMM’s Process magazine, is a voting member of AAMI, and he also serves as the current President for the Central California Chapter of IAHCSMM.
Kevin Anderson is a Clinical Education Coordinator for Healthmark. He is a registered nurse (BSN) with multiple certifications including CNOR, CSSM, CRCST, CHL, CIS and CER.
Before joining Healthmark, Kevin worked for 18 years in the acute care setting serving in various clinical and leadership capacities including clinical coordinator of general surgery, operating room manager and manager of sterile processing and endoscopy services. His sterile processing team was recognized with IAHCSMM’s Confidence Builder Award for their outstanding quality improvement in 2018.