1. CENTRAL STERILE PROCESSING
Our goal for the Central Sterile Processing Department is to create a stable and knowledgeable base for your staff
members to meet your facility goal and provide a teaching program that can be managed “In - house”.
We can achieve some major goals:
Establish a base line of competence for members of your team as to the proper handling of and care of instrumentation.
Establish facilitator competence to train, reinforce, monitor and correct any deviation from the proper handling and care of instrumentation.
Advantage will provide the facilitators and management team with a synopsis for the program that we together can
implement. The training program will empower you to add staff to the central sterile department by creating a functional
staff team member. This is done by having minimal class room time; direct “hands on” training and documentation of
competencies met, plus follow-up assessments by your educators and supervisors.
We at Advantage Support Services truly have a commitment and passion for the instrumentation process and look
forward to being a positive in your facility. With your leadership and commitment to follow through with the
implementation of the central sterile training program, we can reach the goals that you want to reach for your customers,
staff and patients. You can now have the tools in – house that will allow your facility to have a solid baseline of knowledge
to achieve the goals for: instrumentation delivery, set completion and sterility.
CENTRAL STERILE PROCESSING
“ON - LINE”
EDUCATION PROGRAM

2. What is the importance of education?
Increases base knowledge
“DISH WASHER” mentality to the “SCIENCE of STERILIZATION”.
AAMI’s standards recommend certification
Encourages accountability
Have one standard practice
1.Education will increase the staff knowledge base to the correct guidelines of AAMI, AORN, CDC and OSHA.
2.Education will facilitate the confidence in the staff member to move from a “dishwasher mentality” to an understanding of the science they perform each day.
3. States have made it mandatory for and employee to work in the central processing department, the employee must be certified. AAMI recommends that the staff members achieve a certification level as well.
4. Staff and management can not have a measure of accountability, if the staff does not have the information to perform their tasks.
5. Increasing staff knowledge will drive the departments instrument process to have on standard practice. 2

3. What is so important about Standards of Practice?
Allows Educators / Trainers:
Additional Productivity Hours with on-line program easily accessed by technicians
Staff is:
Using the same language and processes
Cross training
Evaluate errors and omissions in the process
All staff is using the same language and the same processes, on every shift including weekends. The staff is performing tasks, without deviation, from the standard process set.
Staff is knowledgeable to other tasks performed by coworkers. This builds an accountability measure to each other as well as a sense of team work. This also allows for cross training.
Having a standard of practice enables the management team as well as supervisors, on the floor, to evaluate and document errors and omissions during the instrument process. 3

4. GOAL - Reduction in Total Costs – (long term in the following areas):
Instrumentation Damage and Loss Of Items
Surgical Start Times
Cost Containment with Surgical staff preparing for case starts
Cost Containment with Infection Control
Training dollars are reduced with accessibility of on-line training

5. What our department wants to accomplish
Access to a developed program that will provide:
Improve and correct challenges
“Accountability” and “Ownership”
Increase “Standard of Care”
Product improvement for our customer
Goals for instruments:
Sterile
On Time
Complete Sets
We would like to have a developed education program that will provide our department with the following:
a. A process to improve and correct process challenges.
b. We would like to create a sense of accountability and ownership with our staff members.
c. We would like to improve the “Standard of Care” our patients.
d. We would like to have access to a process that would improve the product we deliver to our customers.
e. We would like to improve our process to reach higher goals set for the instrumentation process:
a. Sterile Instruments
b. Instruments delivered on time.
c. Instrument sets complete. 5

6. Let us explore four different education paths and their costs
Educate on our own – A facility / department developed program
This path would challenge us to us our own resources. The management and training team
would have to consider time constraints for manager and supervisor to develop a training program. This
would include gathering information, develop teaching programs, develop a documentation process and
implement the education program. This also means the department must get “buy-in” from infection
control, the education department and management structure to allocate time and resources to create the
program. The cost to create a program would be time and resources.
2. Self Taught
This would be a self study program. The individual staff member would have to take personal ownership
and responsibility for the education process. We at Advantage have experienced that usually this
process of training has little to no direct impact for the improvement of department or instrument
processes. Self taught does not usually impact co –workers to creates uniform
care. There is no financial cost to the department, unless the facility
reimburses staff for supplies and time invested.
3. Out source education to a consultant / educator to facilitate all training.
The consultant would provide the department staff with all current standards of sterilization practices and
with processing tools. The educator would be on site during staff shifts to lecture and proctor exams and
to reinforce AAMI standards for processing instruments. The educator will create stability and a standard
process, unfortunately it is short lived due to the fact of staff turnover and management “buy-in”. The
financial cost usually exceeds the education budget for most central sterile departments. An outside
consultant/ educator, on average, equals $12,000.
4. The best of all three paths would be an “In – House” training program provided by Advantage Support. The next slide will demonstrate what the “ In – House” program provides.
Can we educate on our own?
Can the staff members do it themselves?
Should we hire an outside educator to be on –site?
How can we get the best of all three? 6

7. “ON - LINE” TRAINING Objectives and Tools
Standard of Care
Uniform Care
Facility controlled
Current standards
TOOLS
Video demonstration On – Line System
Workbook and Exams
On – Line system
On site “hands – on” demonstrations
Customer Service
The objectives of the “In – House” is to educate (facilitators) to standard of care through the information to produce a base line of uniform care for all staff on all shifts. The “In – House” training provides the department facilitator a program that the facility controls. The program includes education from AAMI and AORN guidelines, the CDC, and OSHA standards.
Advantage Support will provide videoed lectures and demonstrations through an on line system. Also on the On – Line system we will provide staff with lectured material in the form of workbooks, exams (a passing grade at 70% or higher) and reports to the management team of staff participation and progress on a weekly basis.
We coordinate with instrument and equipment manufacturer’s who will provide on site demonstrations to staff members.
Advantage will be onsite to receive post demonstrations and access competency from facilitators, as well as educate facilitators “how to train” and “ how to receive post demonstrations” in the 5th week of the training program. Advantage Support will provide a customer service “hot – line” to support the facilitating team. These services are available for 1 year after the initial 5 week training program.
This program provides your facilitators a complete training tool for all new hired staff, for existing staff and for the development of a preceptor ship program. 7

8. These are the disciplines lectured, demonstrated and tested:
Professionalism
Your Professional Role
Introduction to Sterile Processing
Decontamination
Microbiology
PPE
OSHA and Universal Precautions
Clean Room, MSDS, Eye wash
Handwashing, Transporting,
Receiving, Body Mechanics,
Loading and Operation of Cart Washer
Manual Inspection of Instruments
Mechanical Wash
Preparation / Packaging
Instrumentation
Receiving Items
Inspection Process & Assembly of
Dries, Sorts, Inspects for debris and function
Count Sheets, Organizes Items accordingly
Internal and External Indicators – Corresponding sterilization process and placement correct
Missing Instrument Protocol
Wrapping Trays
Peel Packages
Quality Assurance before release
Care for Soiled Instrument Standard
Free of Bioburden, Filter Inspected and In place
Internal & External Indicator, Technician Initial
Each class will include the following teaching methods:
Lecture 1 hr per day scheduled via on line videoed lectures
Train to each item
Demonstration “on the floor”
Post – Demonstration
Testing of 70 % or higher
Reporting to management of staff participation and progress on a weekly basis
The program will consist of the following disciplines:
Professionalism - Quality Assurance Practices - Decontamination - Preparation / Packaging - Basic Instrumentation knowledge – Sterilization Practices
NOTE: Professionalism and Quality Assurances are integrated in each discipline of processing practices.

9. These are the disciplines lectured, demonstrated and tested:
Operation and Practices of
Sterilization for:
Steam
Gas Plasma
EtO processes
Documentation of sterilization records
Loading Cart
Wrapped Items and Peel packs vs. Containers
Knowledge base for Pre-vac and Gravity for steam sterilization
Monitors and Parameters
Bowie – Dick test
Biological, Placement, Designated Use, Incubation of, Documentation of
Unloading and Safety Measures
Recall Policies and Procedures

10. This “ON - LINE” training is designed for your organization IF:
If facility has multiple shifts
IF management team has no extra time
If department needs documentation
If department is committed to standard of care for patients
If department needs a cost effective method to train staff
Wants a science of sterilization mentality
Uses several sterilization methods & specialized solutions
Uses specialized surgical instrumentation
Does not have a Central Sterile training school or program
If staff struggles
The “In – House” training program is designed for your department if:
1.Your hospital is moving from a “ dishwasher mentality” to a mentality that encourages growth in the sciences of sterilization.
If your organization is uses multiple specialized sterilization practices and specialized solution to clean and decontaminate your instrumentation.
If your organization uses specialized surgical instrumentation, including robotics and endoscopes.
If the department does not have a Central Sterile school or education program.
If your staff struggles with a self study program.
If your organization process instrument on multiple shifts.
If your department does not have a standard practice for all shift.
If your management team does not have time to design a training program.
If your department needs a defined process to document staff competencies or results for sterilization.
If your organization is committed to creating a standard of care for the patient.
If your organization desires a cost effective way to establish a training program that the facility controls. 10

11. “ON - LINE” Training Times and Uses
Suggested Class Time - 5 weeks
6 hours per week for:
Video demonstrations
Video Lectures
Work book lectures
On line exams
Remainder of training per week
Provide hands on demonstrations / VENDORS
Receive post demonstrations
Provide reinforcement of process
Documentation of competency
Some suggested Uses for :
Orientation Program for “New Staff”
Aid in training existing staff to current AAMI guidelines
Getting all staff on the “Same Page”
Reinforces staff working toward certification
Trains surgical staff to processes
Suggested class times for facilitators to train staff is 24 hours per week.
This 24 hours is divided to ensure that instrument productivity is still achieved.
Three days per week, each day consisting of approximately 2 hours will be spent on – line to receive the videoed demonstrations, and to study the on line work book information as well as taking the on – line exams.
The remainder of time spent in training during the week will be on the floor during the staff member scheduled shift. This training will consist of facilitators providing demonstrations and the staff members performing post – demonstrations for competency. The facilitator will reinforce all education on the floor during the staff members shift as well as provide documentation of competency to the management team.
The suggested time of program will be 5 weeks.
This will provide all staff on all shifts a standard of practice. It will also provide and orientation program for all new hired staff. 11

12. Summary “ON - LINE” TRAINING Importance of education
Increases base knowledge to the “SCIENCE of STERILIZATION
Standards of Practice
Staff is using the same language and processes
Management team can evaluate errors
Department wants instruments:
Sterile
On Time
Complete Sets
“ON - LINE” TRAINING
Increase Standard of Care
Create uniform Care
Facility controlled
Training Provides:
Video demonstrations
Work book lectures
On line exams
Demonstrations and post demonstrations
Reinforcement of process
Documentation of competency