sterile processing
By Rose Seavey, RN, BS, MBA, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT
Certification Can Improve Sterile Processing
Quality and Patient Outcomes
C
ertification is a notable and increasingly important
achievement for any healthcare discipline. Its attainment is
one that not only benefits the individual who attains it, but also
their department and facility and, above all, the patients being
served. Increasingly, employers view professional certification
as a way to evaluate whether an individual has the depth of
skills and knowledge required for them to perform successfully,
confidently and safely in a particular role. Employers want to
hire the most qualified individual who will make a positive
contribution to quality patient care, and they may determine
that certified individuals possess that “extra something” the
facility needs and seeks.
Most healthcare facilities are certified as an organization.
Passing an accreditation survey, such as from The Joint
Commission, for example, is a healthcare organization’s process
of certification. The healthcare industry sees certification as
an important aspect of providing safe patient care; therefore,
it’s understandable that more facilities are holding in high
esteem individuals who are certified in their respective roles.
Attaining and maintaining certification helps ensure safe quality
care through process improvement and risk reductions based
on knowing, understanding and following evidence-based
standards. This is certainly important for those responsible for
reprocessing medical and surgical instrumentation.
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instru-
mentation (AAMI) recommends all personnel performing
reprocessing activities be certified within two years of
employment and then maintain that certification throughout
their employment. AAMI also recommends that those who
manage supervisory functions be adequately prepared for
this responsibility through education, training and experience,
and have minimum recommended qualifications that include
successful completion of a sterile processing (SP) management
certification examination.
Patients rarely (if ever) meet SP professionals; however,
their effective care and treatment nonetheless hinges on
these individuals’ performance in their various roles within
the department. Patients and healthcare customers such
as those in the operating room, emergency department,
labor & delivery, and endoscopy, to name a few, rely on SP
professionals to provide safe, clean, sterile and well-functioning
instrumentation. They also count on SP professionals to follow
current evidence-based best practices, as well as the latest
standards, guidelines and instructions for use.
Certification helps support these expectations and lends
assurance that SP professionals have the essential knowl-
edge and skills needed for managing critical departmental
responsibilities safely, effectively and consistently. Continuing
education requirements for SP professionals to maintain their
certification status further helps ensure that they can stay on
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top of ever-evolving instrumentation, technology, standards and
best practices to keep the department functioning at its best.
The International Association of Healthcare Central Service
Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) is a longstanding and
dedicated advocate for SP professionals. This is evident in
IAHCSMM’s advocacy roles that include promoting education
and legislation at the individual state level. The Association’s
highest legislative priority is to ensure there are certified SP
technicians in every healthcare facility in every state. Although
only four states (Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and
Tennessee) currently require certification of SP technicians,
IAHCSMM is actively pursuing legislation in other states.
Facilities in states that do not currently require certification
of SP technicians can and should make certification a
requirement within their own organization. Managers or
supervisors working in a state or facility that does not yet
require certification are highly encouraged to work with their
facilities’ human resources and administrative professionals
to educate them on the many merits of SP certification and
why it would benefit the facility to require certification of SP
technicians as a condition of employment.
Specifically, certification of SP technicians can assist with
the following:
• Developing the basic level of understanding and
knowledge for reprocessing medical devices
• Providing internationally recognized, competen-
cy-based, measurable standards
• Offering practice consistencies and standardization
• Adding a professional element to the department
• Building self-esteem, confidence and authority to the
individual who holds the certification(s).
It is equally important to note that SP professionals needn’t
wait for their state or facility to require certification. Instead,
individuals are encouraged to make a personal commitment
to become certified. Sterile processing is a profession, not
just a job. It’s also a profession that has a real and direct
impact on patient care, safety and outcomes. Every patient
deserves quality-focused, dedicated and well educated/well
skilled reprocessing professionals who are committed to
ongoing knowledge advancement and skill set development.
When an individual makes a personal commitment to acquire
certification and then maintain that certification through
continuing education, it helps demonstrate their dedication
to quality and professionalism.
For more information about IAHCSMM’s certification
offerings, visit: www.iahcsmm.org/certification.html.
Rose Seavey, RN, BS, MBA, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT, is the
retired president/CEO of Seavey Healthcare Consulting and
former director of the SPD at the Children’s Hospital of Denver.
march 2020 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com