Ideas That Work: Rotating SPD Education Keeps Engagement High, Errors Low

Practical pearls from your colleagues

When staff education gets stale or boring, engagement falters and compliance often declines. That’s why the sterile processing department at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., shakes things up every month. “Our sterile processing team’s staff action committee designs monthly educational opportunities to keep the team engaged and updated,” says Candace Stansell, CRCST, sterile processing department supervisor.

MEMORABLE MADNESS (top) Year two Kadlec Regional Medical Center Champions Christina Genack, Lisa Telles and Miriam Baumann; (bottom) Yousif Yousif holds the 2024 bracket.

A major springtime initiative centers around a “March Madness” theme that plays off the popular NCAA basketball tournament. SPD team members pair off for friendly competitions during shift safety huddles and are tasked with answering important sterile processing questions. “Questions cover regulatory requirements, standards of practices, policies and procedures,” says Ms. Stansell.

An example of the types of questions staff field during March Madness: Which bacterial spore is contained in our biological indicators to monitor the effectiveness of a sterilization process? (Answer: Spores of Geobacillus Stearothermophilus.)

“Successful team members move forward through the bracket until a ‘knowledge champion’ prevails, with awards presented to the top three,” says Ms. Stansell. The engagement and education strategy appears to be working. Kadlec’s error rate is consistently less than 0.21%, and the entire SPD team is certified. OSM