Job Summary:
Under direct/indirect supervision, follows approved infection control, quality assurance, and departmental policies and procedures. Collects, cleans, decontaminates, disinfects, and/or sterilizes surgical instruments, trays, and packs, reusable medical devices, and patient care equipment for inpatient Nursing and Medical Office departments. Inventories, restocks, and distributes instruments, reusable medical equipment, and medical supplies to Medical Center. Works a majority of time in a Sterile Processing Department, cleaning, preparing, assembling, sterilizing, preparing packs, instruments, and trays for the medical center and/or medical office building. Will process inpatient operating room instruments. May assist in departmental in-services and training. Must hold current CS/SPD Certification with either the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) or The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materials Management.
Essential Responsibilities:
Infection Control - Standard Precautions: • Adherence to hand washing requirements, workflow patterns, standard precautions, sterility assurance, biological monitoring, and dress code.
Quality Assurance Monitoring: • Validates and maintains: event-related protocols; disinfection and/or sterilization load parameters and records; inventory check sheet(s); and equipment monitoring.
Documentation: • Meets regulatory requirements for sterilization, high-level disinfection, biological monitoring, and employee competencies. • Accurately documents and maintains daily records of all QA and sterilization functions according to regulatory agency and Infection Control standards.
Policies and Procedures: • Adheres to Organizational and Departmental policies and procedures.
Staff Development: • Participates in department employee orientation (DEO), meetings, and employee evaluation and competency programs. • Maintains current Sterile Processing Technician Certification. • May assist in departmental inservices and training.
Decontamination Skills: • Wears personal protective equipment. • Inspects, disassembles, sorts, cleans, and processes reusable instrumentation and equipment. • Selects and operates specialized cleaning equipment. • Follows manufacturer recommendations for use of cleaning agents. • Follows device manufacturer cleaning guidelines. • Maintains adequate cleaning supplies. • As designated, reprocesses endoscopes.
Instrumentation Assembly: • Identifies, inspects, and assembles all general and specialty instruments, various power equipment, laser, and endoscopic instruments per specifications and manufacturer recommendations.
Preparation and Packaging: • According to manufacturer guidelines, selects and prepares packaging materials for the sterilization of reusable instrumentation.
Principles of Sterilization: • Selects appropriate method of sterilization. • Maintains accurate sterilization records. • Properly loads and unloads sterilization cart items. • Verifies that sterilization parameters have been met before distribution of load.
Equipment and Supply Management: • Collects, cleans, checks, distributes, and tracks patient care equipment. • As designated, orders patient care equipment, inventory assigned supply areas for replenishment, and rotates stock appropriately and stocks general and surgical carts. • Reports all malfunctioning equipment to appropriate department.
Workplace Safety: • Demonstrates awareness of personal and work area safety at all times. • Complies with facility safety policies and procedures, including those for bloodborne pathogens and communicable diseases. • Takes prompt corrective actions when hazard identified (reporting or removing, as appropriate). • Attends required safety training.
Professionalism: • Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills. • Actively supports and contributes teamwork in the workplace. • Takes responsibility and is accountable for own professional work ethics. • Demonstrates responsibility in adhering to posted work schedules. • Assists in inservice and training. • Supports departmental related computer programs. • May assume interdepartmental liaison responsibilities. • In the absence of the Senior Technician, may assume interdepartmental liaison responsibilities.
Supervisory Responsibilities: This job has no supervisory responsibilities. Grade 390