Sterilization Station: A Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast
Welcome to "Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast, the podcast dedicated to elevating the field of sterile processing and surgical services! In an industry where precision and care intersect, we believe that knowledge is power. Our mission is to empower, encourage, and motivate every professional engaged in the transformative world of healthcare.
Join us each week as we delve into enlightening discussions that shine a light on best practices, emerging innovations, and the critical role sterile processing plays in patient safety. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting your journey, our panels and expert guests will provide invaluable insights through engaging conversations and real-world stories.
From the nuances of instrument handling to the latest in sterilization techniques, we cover it all. Expect thought-provoking interviews, educational segments, and motivating content designed to inspire you to elevate your craft. Together, let’s foster a community that champions excellence in surgical services and celebrates the unsung heroes of healthcare.
Tune in to where expertise meets passion, and every episode empowers you to make a difference in the operating room and beyond.
Sterilization Station: A Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast
The Power of Coaching in Sterile Processing
Sterile processing coaches provide essential support for SPD professionals navigating increasingly complex medical instruments and heightened patient safety standards in 2025. A coach serves as your guide through the journey from basic memorization to true mastery, meeting you where you are and helping you grow with purpose.
• Understanding what a sterile processing coach is – not just a trainer, but someone who explains the "why" behind procedures
• Exploring the complex 2025 SPD landscape with robotic instruments, digital tracking systems, and stricter compliance
• Recognizing coaching as essential rather than optional in today's demanding environment
• Learning how coaching transformed "Marcus" from nearly quitting to mentoring others
• Understanding why coaching works – focusing on thinking skills rather than mere task completion
• Discovering how coaching helped "Jasmine" overcome exam anxiety and pass her CRCST with 91%
• Exploring the three-tier coaching program for different career stages
• Tier one focuses on foundations for new techs and students
• Tier two helps working techs level up with case-based training
• Tier three prepares leads and educators with leadership development
To apply for coaching, DM the word "coach" or visit www.sterilizationstation.org and click "Get Coaching" in the top right corner. You can also email sterilizationstation@outlook.com for more information or to schedule an exploratory call fill out this form : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16w5ERl1PRtdJ4iHrPbirBG9o6DpBUSfVITjU5NonK0k/edit?usp=sharing_eil&invite=CO7JrvgL&ts=6803c9a1
Welcome to the Sterilization Station, your trusted stop for everything sterile processing, clean, compliant and career-changing. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, a certified sterile processing professional educator and coach, and today we're diving into a topic that's transforming careers and improving patient outcomes in real time why a sterile processing coach is essential in 2025. Now let me paint the perfect picture. A hospital in the Midwest nearly lost a patient due to a contaminated orthopedic tray. Why? A rusted tech, a confused loaner set and a lack of understanding not just of the instrument names, but of what they do and why they matter. That tech wasn't lazy. She was overwhelmed, under-trained and unsupported, but a coach could have made all the difference. So today we're exploring exactly what a sterile processing coach is, why they're more crucial than ever in 2025, and how our three-tier coaching program at the Sterilization Station LLC is giving professionals the tools they need to not only survive but to thrive. So stay tuned to this episode. You're going to get empowered, you're going to get encouraged and you're going to get empowered. You're going to get encouraged and you're going to get inspired. And if you're that student, that extern or that professional or that leader who's scratching their head saying I need help, help me. Help is here, help is on the way and we heard your cry. So what is a sterile processing coach? Let's be very clear. Let's get clear. A sterile processing coach isn't your department manager. They're not your quality assurance lead. They're not just a trainer thrown at you during onboarding. A sterile processing coach is someone who walks with you on your journey, someone who breaks down the why behind the what. They help you stop memorizing and start understanding. They're the bridge between classroom knowledge and real-life mastery. So, whether you're brand new or maybe 10 years in and hitting a plateau, a coach meets you where you are and helps you grow with purpose. That's right, with purpose. In our three-tier program. We are here to guide techs, from basic ID and workflow to leadership and even growing to coach others, and we'll break that down later in today's episode. I hope you have your pen out. I hope you have your iPad. You're ready. You got your laptop open. Don't take this episode just as another episode. This episode is going to empower you to grow. You have to grow as you go, as I love to say at the sterilization station, and so this is the 2025 SPD landscape. Let's talk about where we are right now, in 2025.
Speaker 1:Processing is more complex than ever. Robotic instruments aren't just for major centers. They're showing up in community hospitals right? I work at a small community hospital. We've got a robot there. Flash sterilization is gone, but now we have to master low-temp sterilizers using technologies like OneTray. Right, using tracking systems with digital digitized systems and passing more frequent compliance checks. Accountability is up.
Speaker 1:Patient safety is under a magnifying glass. Did you hear? Patient safety is under a magnifying glass. We have to be detail-oriented. We have to understand the why. We cannot be button pushers. We must understand what we're doing. Not only is the patient at risk, our fellow brothers and sisters of sterile processing are at risk. You're at risk and if you're not handling yourself right, your family is at risk. So this is very, very important.
Speaker 1:Listen, coaching is not just a cliche, it's a necessary. You need a coach. If you're a professional trying to level up, you need a coach. You need someone to guide you through. It's not just for students, it's not just for leaders who want to go into leveling up, into a new role. This is for everybody. Everybody needs a coach. Accountability is up. Right, like I said, patient safety is under the magnifying glass. We have to take ownership of our success. No one's going to do it for you.
Speaker 1:Luckily, I found mentors. I found coaches different ones who have invested in me. I remember having my call every quarter. He gave me homework. I had something I had to do, but I'm so thankful he took the time to invest in me. Because here I am today trying to empower others.
Speaker 1:And so one tech I work with let's just call him marcus right nearly quit after six months why the instruments were overwhelming the da Vinci sets, all the ortho loners, all the laparoscopic instruments, all the cardiovascular sets, right the vascular sets, the neuro sets. The instruments were overwhelming him. Every time something was missing or misassembled he got blamed, but no one had ever really trained him right. He didn't need a write-up, he needed a level up, he needed a coach. We started working together one-on-one. We walked through robotic instruments piece by piece, talking through function, reading the ifu. How do you disassemble it in decontamination? How do you clean it the appropriate way according to the ifu? How do you wash it? How do you assemble it? How do you sterilize it? How do you store it? We talked about these things.
Speaker 1:Marcus was assembling trace faster, with fewer errors and, more importantly, he understood why it all mattered, why he was now. He had a coach who was mentoring him day by day, who was accessible day by day. Now he's mentoring new techs himself. That is the power of coaching turning a coach into a coach. Coaching is the power of coaching. Turning a coach into a coach. Coaching is the game changer. Coaching is the game changer. So why does coaching work? Because sterile processing isn't about tasks, it's about thinking. Right, you got to think three steps ahead. Most techs get stuck because they're thrown into the fire with no plan. But what does a coach give you? A coach has a playbook, right? The coach has his playbook. And as a sterile processing coach, we're bringing our playbook day by day, section by section assembly, decontamination, case carts, runner, slash, liaison, lead, supervisor, educator, manager, director. We're coaching.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about jasmine. Jasmine, I love that name. I had a friend named jasmine. She uh, she's, you know, went through her process and she's up in a better place now, resting from her labors. But this isn't that jasmine. This is a fictitious name. But let's talk about jasmine today.
Speaker 1:She was a strong tech but never felt ready for her CRCST exam. You know, she passed the quizzes, but she failed the practice tests. Her confidence was shot. Her confidence was low. We started her with her learning style. She wasn't a flashcard person, right? She needed real world context. She wanted to physically touch the instruments. So we created mock trays, we reviewed the Amy standards, we went over her CRCST book, we went over her CBS PD manual, using case-based learning right, Real situations and even simulated audits. Jasmine passed her exam Listen with a 91%, why? This is what she told me. Bill, bill, bill, you didn't just help me study, you helped me believe I was ready.
Speaker 1:That's what a coach does, not just instruction. More importantly, what is the sterilization station? It is an empowerment podcast of sterile processing. So what does she do? She was empowered to believe in herself. As my good friend michael a parker from urceo says, belief is also a system of belief. Faith is a system of belief, and so is doubt or unbelief you believe you can't versus faith. I believe I can. But what does her coach do? They're planting those seeds to encourage, to motivate, to inspire, and and that's what a coach does we are here to empower you and that's why this podcast exists a sterile processing empowerment podcast. We're here to encourage the mindset.
Speaker 1:Mr Parker said what you think, you feel, you act. That's the process of the human body, no matter your race, no matter your gender, no matter whatever you are or claim to be today. Right, you think using a human brain. This is the way the body works. I'm so glad for you, our CEO. We have an episode coming out where we're gonna talk more about that for those who are interested, but it's all about empowerment and that's what Mr Parker and his team does at URACEO.
Speaker 1:So, like I said, in 2025, sterile processing is evolving fast and and that's not a luxury, it's essential. So let's talk about this three-tier coaching program that we have. So we have our three-tier coaching program. Tier one is the foundation. It's perfect for new or struggling techs, students, externs right, we're preparing you for your first role, your first job. We're preparing you as a student, to pass your tests. We're mentoring you through the process. We have coaches that are with you through the process and we focus on those externs. We give them their roadmap to success in their externship. We focus on instrument identification, decontamination procedures and sterilization methods. This includes flashcards, guided walkthroughs and hands-on virtual workshops.
Speaker 1:Tier number two this is the application phase of coaching. This is designed for those working techs who want to level up A CRCST, who wants to become an instrument specialist, an instrument specialist who wants to become a supervisor, a supervisor who wants to become an educator? Maybe you want to accept a position in the scope room doing flexible scopes, gi scopes. We're here to train you through that, to guide you through that. Design for working techs case-based training, real-time troubleshooting and mock audits, right trade building strategies and error reduction.
Speaker 1:Tier three of the program is for leads, educators or techs who know they want to level up, they know they want to climb the ladder. They know they want to climb the ladder, they know they want to be in leadership and we've got some great people here to guide you through that. Focusing on communication right Communication is so important. And not only just communication, but effective communication how to train others right To understand their learning styles and their needs and how to as a leader, it's not just managing work, it's actually leading people.
Speaker 1:There is a difference. Leading people is taking part of their growth, finding being that mentor. You don't just want to be a leader. You want to be someone who can help develop people, develop their mindset, develop their passion, develop their skills. This is what you really want. You don't want to manage work. Make sure you're leading people. Quality control, process improvement these are things you will learn in this tier. And then one-on-one mentoring and interview prep included. We have a team of managers who will be helping you to prepare for your interview. You will be prepared to go in there and to succeed and have the confidence. So this isn't a one size fits all. It's personalized coaching to help you grow at your pace on your path.
Speaker 1:There is a success roadmap for each tier, and that's what we're here for. We want to make sure that we're here to guide you through that, and so I'm really excited about this and the opportunity to share this with you. And so do you want and are you interested? If so, make sure you DM me the word coach or visit the link in the show notes to apply. You can also apply by going on to wwwsterilizationstationorg and then the top, the right corner of the website. There's a button that says get coaching. If you have any questions, please send me an email at sterilizationstationatoutlookcom, where we can have more ofa dialogue, and I do have exploratory calls where we can talk more about this through a PowerPoint presentation, and so I really appreciate you for taking the time to listen to this.
Speaker 1:Remember having a coach in sterile processing is so important, especially if you feel that you need guidance. And it is very, very affordable and we're here to support you. And just remember as you leave today remember sterile processing isn't just behind-the-scenes work. It's frontline infection control, infection prevention. We save lives and there's a science behind it and it's a craft that deserves an investment. Make sure you're investing in yourself.
Speaker 1:A coach helps you honor your role, sharpen your skills and unlock your potential. And if you're tired of feeling stuck and if you want to move beyond memorization and into mastery, well, let's talk, like I said, dm coach. To get started or to learn more wwwsterilizationstationcom. Click the button at the top that says get coaching. Thank you very much for joining me today on Sterilization Station, where we keep it clean, we keep it smart and we keep it moving forward. Until next time, stay sharp, stay sterile and remember you are essential. We're here to service you. Let us know how we can help you. Keep your mindset above. Always remember, have a positive mindset. Plant good seeds, because everyone is a tree. It just depends on what type of tree do you want to be. Have a great day.
