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
From Student to Standout: Conquering Your First Sterile Processing Interview
Standing at the threshold of your sterile processing career, that first interview can feel like a daunting challenge. But what if you could transform those nerves into your greatest advantage?
This episode of Sterilization Station is dedicated to sterile processing students and externs ready to take that crucial first step into the professional world. We're breaking down the mindset shift that changes everything: you're not begging for a job—you're offering your work ethic, reliability, and hunger to learn to a department that needs precisely what you bring.
Through five game-changing interview strategies, you'll discover how to articulate your "why" with authenticity, master the essential terminology that shows your commitment, and bring concrete examples that prove your capabilities beyond classroom learning. Learn the subtle but powerful impact of professional presentation and the types of questions that make hiring managers take notice. The right department isn't just hiring hands; they're hiring a mindset, a teammate, and a future leader.
Whether you're feeling uncertain about your qualifications or simply want to ensure you make your best impression, these strategies will help you walk into that interview standing tall in your growth. As one student recently demonstrated after implementing these techniques, the difference between being overlooked and standing out often comes down to how you frame your training experience and show up with confidence.
Ready to transform how you approach your sterile processing interview? Share this episode with a classmate who's interviewing soon, follow Sterilization Station on your favorite podcast platform, and tag us on social media with your interview win using #SterilizationStation. Your career journey starts with believing you belong at the table—because you absolutely do.
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Sterilization Station. This is that empowerment podcast for sterile processing, where we clean more than instruments. We clean up doubt. We clean up fear and confusion and replace them with clarity, courage and that career power. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and it is a happy Friday and I'm so excited about today. We just had a student finish and she is on her way to find her first role.
Speaker 1:It made me think about how I want to encourage you out there today. I'm going live. I am in the truck on the lunch break. I had to just create a video just to encourage you, and this episode is dedicated to those students and externs out there who are ready to walk into the biggest moment of their early career, right your very first interview. So, whether you're nervous, excited or feeling completely unsure of what to expect, you are in the right place and I've got some tips and tricks and truths that will set you apart, calm your nerves and help you walk into that interview with confidence.
Speaker 1:So, before we even talk resumes or your scrub colors or anything like that, let's talk mindset. And here's the truth, right? You're not just a student, you're not just an extern. You are now a trained professional in progress. That means you're valuable, you're teachable and you're ready to grow, and that's exactly what a great department is looking for, right. So walk in there with your heads lifted high. You're not begging for a job. You're offering your work ethic, you're offering your reliability, your hunger to learn, and that means something. You are coming with experience. Whether you were learning how to do turnover trays using the IUSS one tray system, or whether you were learning how to test those scissors and test those laparoscopic and those insulated instruments, or you're learning how to follow the procedures of the you know the IFU from the manufacturer to make sure you're properly cleaning and sterilizing that instrument. You have earned that experience and you are stepping into your destiny. Do not let anyone tell you what you cannot do. Remember if you can think it, you can think it, or if you can speak it through your human brain, that means you have the potential to do it. And remember, this is the time where you get to go into that department and show them who you really are. And so Bill Rochelle here is encouraging you. Sterilization Station is letting you know you got this, you can handle this, you are moving into the right direction.
Speaker 1:So let's get into five powerful tips today that will help you crush that interview. Number one is know your why. Know why not, why still processing, why? Now, you don't need a perfect story, but you need a real one. Tell them your why, why you chose still processing.
Speaker 1:You know, for me I just you know, got clean and sober, made a change in my life in 2003. A friend of mine brought me to a wonderful church in California, in the Bay Area, and let me tell you it changed my life. Never forget when he snuck me onto the night shift at Children's Hospital, I mean, and I remember going in there and how I was watching him and I thought to myself you know what I think I want to do this. And I was dating this wonderful woman who became my wife now of 20 years by God's grace and mercy, and she began to encourage me to, you know, begin to pursue this career. So just understand your why.
Speaker 1:Understand why you know, make sure you're able to express in this interview you know your why and really compel to the hearts of the interviewer why you would be the great fit. You know managers want to see passion right. I just did a mini series on passion. I did a mini series on, you know, staying on fire for sterile processing and when your passion needs surgery. Listen to those. I'll definitely put those in the show notes here for you to listen to. But remember, remember your story right. Managers want to see that passion. They want to see purpose. And when you go in there, have that confidence that you are ready to make a difference and be ready to share what drew you in Like a fisherman, right he reels the reel, he brings them in.
Speaker 1:Number two know the basics and then own them. Right. Know the basics and then own them. Brush up on those terms right. Biological, buoy, deck testing, decontamination versus prep and pack. Knowing case cards, knowing crash cards, knowing what these things are and understanding them and understanding what they really mean. You're not expected to know it all, but show that you care enough to review the essentials. This tip will help you in your interview. Have confidence, go in there, because you have not only the 400 or 240 hours of externship, you've got the time in the school. You are in that environment.
Speaker 1:Number three bring receipts. Not literally, but bring receipts. Have examples ready. In other words, bring those examples. A time you handled, stress, an example, that receipt, that proof right. You talk a lot about the physical monitoring right. We have the chemical monitoring. We got the different ways we're monitoring sterility right. You got those receipts. That's documentation. Bring documentation of why you're ready. Bring documentation of a time you handled stress. Be willing to express that. Be willing to express a moment when you ask for help the right way. How do you stay focused during a long shift? These stories show you're already thinking like a tech.
Speaker 1:Remember, in self-processing we don't know everything but one thing about it. We know where to get it. We know where to look in the instrumentation manuals to know what an instrument is. If we don't know it, knowledge is not power. Let that sink in for a second knowledge is not power. Now I know you're thinking, bill. You talk about everyone talks about this. Listen, you are a ceo, michael. You implemented knowledge is power. Power doesn't come just because you have access to the wall where electricity flows. You gotta plug it in and turn it on. So plug it in and turn it on today. Implement the knowledge you've learned and that will help you to be successful.
Speaker 1:Number four dress the part, even if it's not in scrubs. Look clean, calm and composed. Go in there business, casual looking, professional. You know, making sure you're all neat and organized and together, having your resume ready for everyone on the panel, smiling, Looking them in the eyes when you're interviewing, speaking clearly. You know if you're nervous. Find something on the wall behind the person and concentrate and speak with confidence. Know, keep your chin up. You know you person and concentrate and speak with confidence. No, keep your chin up, you know. You know, you know enough to get that role. Dress the part, remember.
Speaker 1:I always ask my students when I'm mentoring them, when they first come in, I say what do you do for a living? They'll say oh, I work at Applebee's. I'm a server. No, you're a sterile processing technician. You got to get it in your mind, you got to get it into your whole fiber. Always remember you are still a processing technician from the day you start class. Be ready. You never know when you're going to go to the grocery store and meet someone that's going to have a job for you. So don't tell them what you're doing now. Tell them you're speaking those things that don't exist, as though they are. Tell them you're still a processing technician. You never know when you're going to create an opportunity or a connection.
Speaker 1:Be ready, looking for those opportunities. You see what you look for and you hear what you listen for. Make sure you're listening for the right thing. Look clean, calm and composed. Your first impression is your handshake. Before even the handshake Number five, ask a solid question.
Speaker 1:Make sure you have a notebook with questions. One thoughtful question can set you apart, like what qualities make a tech successful in this department? How do you support a new team member in their first 90 days? What is my first 30 days, 60 days, 90 days going to look like? You're not just answering questions, you're having a conversation. Ask them about what is the major issue you're dealing with in your department. What is my onboarding process going to look like? Does this position come with benefits? Right? These are really important. How do I grow? What are the growth opportunities in our departments? So, real quick, I'm going to do a quick fire round. Here are a few extra gems to carry in your back pocket. Make sure you're following up sending a short thank you email within 24 hours.
Speaker 1:That's simple, professional and memorable. Watch your body language. Sit up, smile occasionally and nod to show engagement. Be honest, even if you know something to say. That's something I'd love to learn. That's growth talk. Stay humble, stay hungry.
Speaker 1:Confidence is key, but eagerness to grow is what gets you hired. So here's what I want to leave you with today the right department isn't just hiring a pair of hands. They're hiring a mindset, a teammate, a learner. So don't shrink yourself down just because it's your first role. Stand tall inside your growth. That's what gets you noticed. Be confident. Remember you've invested the time studying, taking the test, doing your externship.
Speaker 1:There are moments when you felt like you couldn't make it. There are moments where you feel like you were gonna fail, but you kept pressing on. Maybe you had to go through constructive criticism. Maybe you were having some attendance issues and they had a conversation with you and you made the improvements. Remember this is about growth. Don't get a fixed mindset. Make sure you have a growth mindset.
Speaker 1:And if this episode gave you one tip or one moment of courage, I've got a special request for you. Share this episode with a classmate or extern who's about to interview. Follow my podcast on Spotify, apple and YouTube. You can find me on Instagram sterilization underscore station 52. On LinkedIn, it's Bill Rochelle or Sterilization Station, and you can find me on YouTube Sterilization Station, our empowerment podcast for sterile processing. Tag me on social media with your interview, when using the hashtag hashtag Sterilization Station. I wanted to cheer you on. You got this. Show up sharp, speak your truth and bring your whole self to the table, because the field doesn't just need techs, it needs leaders and training. And that's you. Until next time, keep growing, keep showing up and stay sharp. This is bill rochelle from sterilization station. I believe in you and I know you can do it. I'll see y'all soon in the next video.
