IAHCSMM VIEWPOINT
CS Professionals must answer the call of professionalism
by Julie E. Williamson
ome Central Service (CS) profession- als may assume that their chosen professional discipline provides them with a secure “job.” The fact is, though, that the dynamic, fast-paced and ever-evolving realm of sterile processing offers a bona fi de career fi lled with exciting opportunities for growth and advancement. With a growing emphasis on care qual- ity, patient safety and positive outcomes (and even cost containment), it stands to reason that healthcare organizations are more committed than ever to employing the very best professionals in each dis- cipline. While some CS departments are expanding their budgets to accommodate ongoing education and certification — and, in some cases, are willing to increase pay for their most committed and valued employees — that shouldn’t be the sole driving factor behind one’s willingness to raise the professional bar.
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Career analysts stress that taking per- sonal responsibility of one’s career trajec- tory and taking calculated leaps to stay ahead of changes in the discipline will help healthcare workers achieve long-term suc- cess and greater job satisfaction. It will also help ensure that they’re well-equipped to function optimally and effi ciently, and de- liver the best possible service to healthcare customers and patients. “Our pursuit of learning must never
end,” stressed IAHCSMM President David Jagrosse, CRCST, CHL. “Knowledge is a very powerful thing and it’s absolutely necessary for those of us responsible for reprocessing devices. Devices, procedures, practices and standards continue to evolve and the only way for us to keep up is to stay educated and push ourselves beyond what we already know.”
Dedication pays big dividends According to career analyst Brent Radcliffe, workers boost their career potential by developing and refi ning their professional capabilities. The more one knows about a particular job’s function or the more is
understood about a particular industry, the more valuable they become to an employer, he reasons.
Those who stay dedicated to their craft and deliberately avoid on-the-job compla- cency become front-runners for promotions and other opportunities to advance in the workplace. A good manager pays close at- tention to those who go the extra mile and routinely demonstrate competency and professionalism on the job. If a promotion isn’t feasible at the time, that employee may be pegged as a departmental mentor or, perhaps, an interdepartmental liaison. If a career ladder program is in place, these dedicated staff members may fi nd themselves scaling it quickly and opening themselves up to new professional oppor- tunities inside and outside the CS depart- ment. What’s more, if the employee’s own facility isn’t wise enough to recognize that hard word and professional dedication, the odds are good that a competing facility will. Career ladder programs can go a long way toward enabling workers in health- care settings to attain on-the-job education and skills training. “We believe that em- ployees, at all levels in their healthcare ca- reer, deserve the opportunity to advance,” reasoned Rebecca Starr, Deputy Director of the Jobs to Careers Initiative. “Education and training is the key to advancement.” Perhaps the greatest advantage of pursu- ing continuing educational opportunities and committing to knowledge advance- ment is the satisfaction that comes from de- livering the safest, highest quality service for patients and healthcare customers alike. Thanks to the many educational opportu- nities that exist today, CS professionals of virtually every background, title and tenure have the ability to become experts in their fi eld, and be respected as such. “I defi ne ‘expert’ as someone who knows
more about a specifi c subject than I do; in other words, someone I can learn from or learn with,” said IAHCSMM Education Director Natalie Lind. “When I have the op- portunity to learn, I always open the door.
The information I gather helps me grow with our fi eld and also helps others grow.” Staying focused on information-sharing
and knowledge-building is crucial in healthcare, especially in CS where tech- nology is always advancing and failure to stay abreast of those changes can negatively impact patient outcomes. “At work, not understanding everything about reprocessing a surgical instrument can be life-threatening. We must keep up with change.”
Lind recommends CS professionals take one step at time — beginning with taking responsibility for increasing one’s own knowledge and then sharing what was learned with others. This can occur through self-study, mentoring processes, or attending a class or educational confer- ence.
Lind recalled her fi rst IAHCSMM confer- ence where she not only learned a great deal from the expert speakers, but also from her fellow attendees. “I was able to forge relationships that have lasted more than 20 years. Those relationships were the start of a network of professionals where I could ask questions and share best prac- tices. Having access to their knowledge, insights and experience has helped me so much over the years.”
Whichever way a CS professional choos- es to pursue knowledge advancement and professional growth, one thing is clear: the efforts will pay off greatly for the em- ployee, customer, patient and facility. With quality service comes professional pride and satisfaction in knowing that one’s roles and responsibilities have a direct impact on others.
“As we prepare for the New Year, I en-
courage every CS professional to set goals that will help them deliver even more value to their departments, customers, patients and organizations,” said Jagrosse. “Opportunities for advancement and other positive outcomes await us all. We just need to be willing to reach out and grab them.” HPN
hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • January 2016 31
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