SPD/CSSD: An Intro to a Series of Change

Sterile Processing and sterilization (SPD/CSSD) has been a passion of mine since I was a teen. As with many, it becomes one of those careers you either fall into, seek out by a recommendation by another healthcare specialty member as a "safe bet" in terms of stability and ease of entry and always room for growing professionally.

Somehow I became a statistic of this, too. Happily this is a fact and has forever changed the course of my life. It has come with both wonderful benefits and challenging facts that can, when allowed or left unchallenged, a career or person in flux. This does not have to be, nor should it.

This article has to do with both old norms, present realities, and future choices made from a faster and different model than many talk about.

Changing models in no small feat. It is, however, what stories are made of and progress made. Ultimately, it is the very reason more of us, whom I feel are all peers regardless of speciality, are peers. Direct, indirect, some running parallel, weaved to gather momentary by "committee time" or even forever tied at the hips as the saying goes. Not so bad when all of the players in the room or facility are on the same page and working together, in tandem. This is last sentence is the very subject I am called about to consult for the most, even now, as someone out of the technical field for a period time due to my terminal/hospice status. That is the sad part; having to be called to learn to work to together when the real solution rests internally within us all, as much as I need and want with my drive emotionally, financially and intellectually. I am not needed- You are.

How empowering! As empowering as that is, we are not using this to our advantage as often as possible and by varies means. Here are some suggestions and considerations or reminders:

1) Remember the very first day you considered taking any SPD/CSSD role. What prompted it? Why did you pursue it?

2) Since then, when and what did you do when once you secured a role to improve?

3) Who were your mentors, if you had any? If you did, why did you seek them out or accept them? What about them that deemed them worthy in terms of quality in terms of appropriate knowledge based technical or related material to actually improve in the right ways, time and direction.

4) Having your eye at a more expanded role within your department is inspiring. It isn't enough. To improve, which often relates to advancements comes with additional work or other elements that expand past what I often here as a "yea but... that is not in my job description..." or there are behaviors absent in some over others and there is usually directly related to who becomes promoted or is considered "promotable".

5) We own our days.

6) We determine the fate of our profession, ourselves. One by one and not to just the ideal limit of a person someone where started to name an expert, but rather surpass the limits (we all have them) of those we consider the "best".

The piece is really about awakening where you are now after reading this mix of thoughts. It is meant to encourage you to realize your potential, far more than you might believe is possible. You cannot do that unless you are willing to acknowledge that departments in transition, as ours and others has been in healthcare for sometime now. You must become so uncomfortable, you become by not design , but rather habit change, itself and agile built upon a solid foundation of proven principles. These same principles fixed and ridge, now while solid by nature, but flexible just enough to bend as our environment and circumstances do.

How can we do this? SPD/CSSD's are often and mainly accurate to say a support department, even though it it delivers a very technical position from person to person, device and instrument to basket to its total function to another entire unit and so much more. The key is making a word, such as "service" not translate into a meaning or even suggesting "less than" a more clinical department or function by nature.

This is the real challenge. With this all of our other needs to "serve" will go unmet.

We cannot allow for this any longer for any price.

To begin the journey of feeling less than to more begins with a true belief your into it. That is why the questions posed above are important. You cannot change into an action or set a course of strategic moves with a core of belief. That cannot be faked. People see through that. Certainly, too, it isn't a motivator either. Manufacturing begins with a set of ideas, a plan, people with skills that match goals, mission and vision, communication, transparency, benchmarking, information for above your actual level of authority, among other components.

I never accepted "no", but never said "no" either. We, anyone in healthcare, has an obligation to provide what is needed and when it is within the scope of the law and regulations. Striving not for best practices, but imagining inventing better ones and being apart of helping to ensure that.

Being as good as, isn't good enough...not i our profession. Sometimes that will mean we will need to take the lead, with and personal desired reward first. I believe we must earn that and it sometimes may never come. It that is a primary goal than SPD/CSSD may not be for you.

I can remember attending my first seminar given by someone I admire. I knew so little and had a certain impression since I knew them, until I heard them speak. It was radicle and not in a good way, yet the crowd at the time, not as much now, loved it. However, it was loud and demanding and in many way demeaning and harsh. It worked for a while. But as my career moved along this did this individual, they were unknowingly loosing respect and had no idea. I have no doubt the were and still are high sought after, but the word is "they are "x", but boy are they hard to deal with and we have a hard time with our employees respecting their style. I asked often (I would sometimes be asked to undo the posturing done) why were they selected to begin with if you knew their style and how they approached situations, by tone, demeanor, some loss of updated knowledge, and and unwillingness to allow others to join them in solving area's of the project they were not as good in? The answer I usually received was " well, they are "x" and that is simply what we were told how they are, period..."

That is not good enough now. it is being proven so, not by that one simple example, but time and time again and in other sectors. Without believing and then acting in a fashion that meets the needs of your customer, and then getting movement, you have failed before you even started.

Starting from the point of comfort is paramount. From there, the people who need or want a service will see that your uniqueness matches theirs. It is apart of that foundation from which a more flexible structure or skeleton and framework for improvement can begin to materialize.

Results can be measures by indicators and must be for yourself and your position, even only against yourself at first.

With this in mind, I want to leave you with some thoughts: Who were you? What did you want? Are you there? Are you willing to change and grow? Garner support and help? Have a willingness to look outside of your own "box" by seeking and observing (and then with action) others that you think isn't the same (the same isn't great)....remember you should be wanting better than that!

This is just a mix bag of tips and thoughts- done with specific intention. Look for a series that is laid out as a template of change and population management. You cannot begin to streamline and improve until you understand where you are right now. So...go and get started! And don't forget to have a fabulous day!