Here are just some of the resources provided by vendors to assist CS/SPD professionals with their training, certification and continuing education.
Visit the new updated 3M Health Care Academy website for convenient online CE accredited courses in device reprocessing and monitoring and for other continuing education and training opportunities.
Case Medical provides ongoing education and training online and on-site as a value-add at no charge. CS/SPD staff can simply visit the company’s website and click on Case Academy to obtain CEUs from IAHCSMM and CBSPD. The company has a wide variety of topics including best practices for instrument processing and infection prevention. Furthermore, Case Medical has affiliations with local colleges to support educational pathways for future scientists, technicians and health care professionals.
The team at Crosstex/SPSmedical understands continuing education is a key component for a successful sterile processing department. Lack of education and training can directly affect patients and cause significant problems for medical facilities due to non-compliance. As the field evolves and complexities of surgical instruments change, the need for education increases. Funding for education can be a strain on sterile processing departments and that is why Crosstex/SPSmedical provides a monthly scholarship program. The company screens and selects scholarship recipients from qualified central sterile applicants. Recipients can choose to enroll in programs through IAHCSMM or CBSPD. The scholarship includes textbooks, workbooks, and testing. For more information about the scholarship program please email [email protected] or call (800) 722-1529.
CS/SPDs (Central Supply, Central Service, Sterile Supply) earn Sterile Processing Dollars with every purchase of a Healthmark product. These points can then be used to purchase educational materials for the department and its staff. CS/SPD professionals can also earn free CEUs at Healthmark’s Crazy4Clean.com, which features fun and educational games focused on the proper cleaning of surgical instruments. Games are a great way to learn, because they simulate experiences that teach skills while offering entertainment.
Education is the foundation upon which to build upon and strengthen professional aptitude and for CSPD techs, this is a crucial element for developing and perfecting the skills necessary for rendering instruments and equipment safe for patient use. Key Surgical’s free online education provides both foundational and progressive information on industry topics ranging from the importance of manual cleaning to effective communication with the OR. The 40-minute online videos alongside an interactive quiz challenge participants to think critically about usual daily work tasks as well as topics that take time and practice to improve upon. Free CE credits are provided. www.keysurgical.com/education
Mobile Instrument Service & Repair
Mobile Instrument Service & Repair has designed an innovative, self-paced online learning program to guide people through the sterile processing technician certification program. Using the IAHCSMM 8th edition Training Manual and Workbook as a basis, the program provides pre-recorded courses that groups the chapters together in more easy-to-digest segments. Participants are tested on knowledge at the end of each segment, an educator reviews every single test, and a personal response is provided to the student for items they have missed. This blend of online class work with real-time instructor feedback makes learning easy.
As a medical device manufacturer, Olympus America understands the positive impact to patient care and infection prevention that CS/SPD certification and training programs offer. Olympus University is an additional resource that those involved in the reprocessing of medical devices can use to further their knowledge and earn education credits. A variety of courses are offered, including flexible endoscope reprocessing, endoscope repair reduction, infection control and basic microbiology. Olympus University collaborates with each facility and schedules speakers to deliver these accredited live courses, and the company continually updates its curriculum to meet the needs of healthcare professionals across the county. Labeling control number: SP3871V02.
