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    1. Sterile Processing

    Bringing It Home

    Jan. 23, 2020
    Viewpoint

    Quality-focused Sterile Processing (SP) professionals who commit to staying abreast of continuing education and skill development — as well as industry standards, technologies and trends that impact the dynamic, ever-evolving discipline — play an essential role in the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care and customer service.

      Fortunately, these vital professionals can meet each of those goals by attending the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management’s (IAHCSMM’s) 2020 Annual Conference & Expo, taking place in Chicago (the hometown of IAHCSMM headquarters), IL, April 26-29. This annual event will deliver the widest range of educational and networking opportunities available to SP professionals to improve their leadership and technical skills and help their departments and facilities operate more effectively, efficiently and safely. Professionals from allied healthcare departments can also glean critical knowledge to facilitate improved interdisciplinary processes, communication and teamwork.

      This year’s Conference & Expo themed “Bringing It Home” will provide everything from knowledge-building hands-on labs and workshops to timely management and technical updates taught by some of the profession’s most renowned and respected experts [attendees can earn up to 21 continuing education (CE) credits to apply toward their recertificaton, and additional CEs can be earned by participating in vendor-provided education during the Expo]. Poster sessions, discussion groups, and the largest vendor exposition for the SP profession will also be offered, along with valuable networking opportunities that allow attendees of various backgrounds, titles and tenures to share best practices and challenges, and engage in professional problem-solving discussions.

      Those arriving in Chicago early can participate in pre-conference hands-on labs and workshops Saturday, April 25. Concurrent hands-on labs and workshops are offered to conference registrants at no extra charge. Other pre-conference workshops, including the Educators Forum, Sterile Processing Management Workshop and StrengthFinder Workshop, are offered for an additional registration fee and on a space-available basis. Early registration is recommended for the paid pre-conference sessions. In between all the learning and networking offerings, attendees will also be able to explore the beauty and excitement of Chicago, including its world-famous dining, shopping, entertainment, art and cultural establishments. Regardless of whether this Conference will be an attendee’s first or twentieth, it’s sure to be one of their most memorable. 

    Sunday, April 26

    9-10 a.m. – Opening keynote speaker: Jon Dorenbos

    10:15-11:15 a.m. – General Session: Medical Device IFU Validations: What’s Going on behind the Scenes?

    11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. – Welcome lunch

    1-2 p.m. – Advocacy Program Updates

    2:15-3:15 p.m. – Concurrent sessions (Protective Clothing: All Gowns Are Not Created Equal; Leaders Eat Last: Building a Strong Culture through ‘Corp Values’; How Much? What Happened? Costs & Safety of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures)

    3:30-4:30 p.m. – Concurrent sessions (Communicate! It’s Service Excellence; Identification & Prevention of Surface Alterations on Surgical Instruments Caused by Waterborne Minerals; UDI Panel Presentation; Upping Your Game for Quality Control in SPD and Endoscopy)

    7 p.m. – Opening reception

    Monday, April 27

    7-8 a.m. – Concurrent Sessions (10 Must-Have Skills for Frontline Central Service Colleagues; other topics TBD)

    8:15-9:15 a.m. – A Guide to the Guidelines: Understanding the AORN Guidelines to periOperative Practice

    9:30-10:30 a.m. – Concurrent sessions (Demystifying Standards: AAMI ST79 – A Journey into Newly Released AAMI Standards and TIRs; Washer-Disinfectors: What Goes into a Successful Cycle? Critical Facts: Vaporized H2O2 Low-Temperature Sterilization; Sunday concurrent session video replays)

    10:45-11:45 a.m. – Concurrent sessions (What’s New with AAMI ST91? Have You Heard of the Updates; Crash Course on Process Monitoring and Testing; Audit and Assess: How to Optimize Your SPD; Endoscope Drying: A Detailed Look at Method Effectiveness and Microbial Levels; Sunday concurrent session video replays)

    11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. – Attendee lunch

    1-5 p.m. – Vendor Exposition

    6:30-7:30 p.m. – Reception

    Tuesday, April 28

    7-8 a.m. – Concurrent sessions (What Do I Do with These Dental Instruments?; Making the Decision to Go Off-Site)

    8 a.m.-12 p.m. – Vendor Exposition

    12:15-1:15 p.m. – Attendee Boxed Lunches

    1:30-2:30 p.m. – Flexible Endoscope Safety: Evidence-based Advocacy for Quality Management

    2:45-3:45 p.m. – Concurrent sessions (AAMI Roundtable: Chamberside Chat; How to Evaluate Strains after Steam Sterilization; The Inside View: Internal Endoscope Anatomy and Its Relationship to Effective Reprocessing; Good Germs Versus Bad Germs: Our Own Microbiome; Monday concurrent session video replays)

    4-5 p.m. – Concurrent sessions (Partners in Prevention: Building the Bond with Infection Prevention; Is Work/Life Balance a Real Thing?; Biological Indicators: The Key to Uncompromised Patient Safety; The ‘Why’ behind What We Are Required to Do in SPD; Monday concurrent session video replays)

    Wednesday, April 29

    8:30-9:30 a.m. – The Optimal Sterile Processing Department: Blending Technology with Expertise

    9:45-10:45 a.m. – The Joint Commission Update

    11-11:15 a.m. – Closing remarks/Passing of the gavel

    11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Closing keynote speaker: Steven Pemberton