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
Every Tray Tells a Story: Why There Are No Routine Days in Sterile Processing
In this episode of Sterilization Station, we challenge the dangerous mindset of “just another day” in sterile processing and uncover the deeper purpose behind every shift. Behind every tray, scope, and instrument is a real patient — someone’s story, someone’s life. Your hands are part of their healing.
🔍 In This Episode:
- 💡 Why “just another tray” is never just that — each one holds a human story.
- ⚠️ The real danger of becoming desensitized to the importance of our work.
- 🧠 Visualization techniques to reconnect with your purpose and see the people you serve.
- 🔄 Six mindset shifts to transform routine into meaningful contribution.
- 🌙 How every shift — day, evening, and overnight — carries unique impact and value.
- 🪞 Moving from a mindset of recovery to reflection after long, demanding shifts.
- 🎉 Why celebrating invisible wins matters — and how to do it meaningfully.
What you do today echoes forever.Stay sharp. Stay sterile. Stay lit with purpose.
Because this is not just another day.
💡 Tools We Trust:
- 🔧 Countsheet AI By LayerJot – Automate documentation, reduce errors, and reclaim time in SPD.
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📬 Connect with Us:
🌐 www.sterilizationstation.org
📧 sterilizationstation@outlook.com
it is 6 37 am, the department was still waking up. Machines humming lights buzzing and coffee barely kicked in. You walk into decontamination and there it is a pan from the trauma or blood, dried bone fragments stuck into the ronger. Tag reads stat turn around. Just another tray, right. But here's what you don't see. That tray came from a 17 year old kid in a motorcycle crash, the. The surgeons barely stopped the bleeding. They're prepping for round two. And the only thing standing between that operating room and a safe second surgery is you, your focus, your hands, your mindset.
Speaker 1:And if you treat this like just another day, if you go on autopilot, if you think this moment doesn't matter, someone else could pay the price, there is no such thing as just another day. In sterile processing, every shift has a name on it, even if you never see the face. Every trade carries weight, even if no one claps for you. And every moment you show up with purpose, you shift more than instruments. You shift lives. Let's talk about it today. Today we are talking on the Sterilization Station podcast, the voice of grit, growth and greatness in sterile processing. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and today I want to challenge a phrase we hear way too often in sterile processing or worse, we say it ourselves sometimes it's just another day. No, there is no such thing as just another day. In sterile processing, every shift is a story, every moment is a part of your mission and every trade that passes through your hands is a decision between life and liability. So if you've been going through the motions, clocking in, clocking out, tuning out the chaos and shutting down your purpose, this episode is for you, because today we reclaim the value of the work, we reset the meaning of our mission and we remember there is no ordinary day when what you do protects someone's life. So let's dive into it. The lie of routine. The lie of routine. Let's break it down today, y'all, sterile processing can feel like a factory floor if we're not careful. Decon assembly, sterilizer, sterilization, delivery, storage, repeat. Decon assembly, sterilization, delivery, repeat. You do it enough. It starts to blur, right. You start saying things like it's just another shift, same problems, different day, nothing new. But here's the cold truth Just another day is a mindset that shrinks your mission. Do you want your mission to shrink? Do you want your passion to go out? I did a series on five ways to improve your passion staying fired up and lit up for sterile processing. And when your passion needs surgery, check it out in the show notes, click that link so your passion don't go down the sink, because while the tasks may repeat, the impact never does.
Speaker 1:Every tray is for a real patient, with a real story. Every tray tells a story. That minor tray that you said was just for the nine o'clock case. That minor tray is fixing an inguinal hernia. That minor tray is a part of an IND. That minor tray is a part of fixing a femoral hernia on someone. That tray tells a story.
Speaker 1:We're not just in an assembly line, we're doing something that has a great impact and sometimes we need to shift our mind, shift our focus. Every scope you clean is going into someone's loved one, whether it's a rigid or a flexible endoscope, it's going into a patient, someone's loved one. Have you let me ask you a question have you ever had surgery? Have you ever had a family or a friend that had surgery? I've had surgery. I've had over five surgeries and I've had family members that have surgery and you know what.
Speaker 1:You want that equipment, those trays, to be tip-top shape to make sure that that patient has a great opportunity to improve their quality of life. Every instrument you inspect might be the difference between success and serious harm. This isn't routine, this is sacred. This is important, and when we start to treat the work like it doesn't matter, we forget the weight of our purpose, the risk of numbing out. You can become numb by just doing it over and over.
Speaker 1:There's danger in normalizing excellence. When the department runs well, when you're sharp, fast and locked in, people forget how hard it actually is and you can forget how valuable you are. You are valuable. Every technician plays a part. The body is comprised of systems Endocrine system, vascular nervous system you got your nervous system. You got your digestive system. Got your nervous system, you got your digestive system. Urinary system these things all function together. The body functions as a part, and it's the same thing in our department. You have a part in patient outcomes, successful patient outcomes. So when the department runs well, when you're sharp, fast and locked in, people can forget how hard it actually is and you can grow. You can forget how valuable you are.
Speaker 1:Don't become desensitized, don't become numb. You ever sat down too long and then your wrist gets numb. Maybe you're using the restroom. Your legs get numb, you become numb. You stop caring as much, isn't it interesting? The two ways they describe our industry is patient care and health care. We have to care, we have to care. You don't want to get to the point when you're desensitized and numb, you stop caring. You just do enough to get by. You're not really bringing your whole heart, but this is your wake up call Every shift you come in is a shift that someone else may pay for.
Speaker 1:There are no off days when your hands are handling sterility. There's no off days when your hands are handing safety. There's no off days when your hands are handling life support. So no, this is not just another Tuesday. This is a high-stake, life-saving, culture-defining moment. Let's say that again High-stake, life-saving, culture-defining moment every single time. High-stake, life-saving, culture-defining moment. So how do you reignite purpose in every day? Let's get practical. How do we break out of the just another day cycle? Here are six mindset shifts I was thinking about that could help us turn routine into purpose.
Speaker 1:Let's start our shift with a statement. Before you even touch a tray, say something to yourself. Someone's life is tied to what I'm about to do. I'm about to clean and decontaminate, sterilize, store and redistribute sterile instruments. That's going to help someone's life. You don't want to lose the value in what you do. You don't want to lose the value in the service you're providing, that what you're doing is providing something that's going to benefit a patient's life. So just remember, everything that you do has a direct personal impact on someone's life, whether it's the anesthesia blade that you're reprocessing, whether it's a flexible scope, whether it's an instrument set. Every time that you check the instrument to make sure those scissors are functioning properly, that those bone rongers are closing, that the kerosene are cutting, every time you're checking the laparoscopic instruments, you're not only preserving the life of a patient, you're also minimalizing injury to your staff in the OR. It's our responsibility. Safety, culture, toxicity, creating positive patient outcomes is everyone's responsibility.
Speaker 1:Set intention and shift your energy. Very, very important. See the patient. Visualize the patient that you're serving. This will help you to redefine your purpose. See the patient, even if you never meet them. Visualize them in your mind. That hip replacement tray is for a grandma who's trying to dance at her granddaughter's wedding. The scope that you're disinfecting that's for a dad waiting to get answers for a biopsy to determine if he has cancer or if he has a condition.
Speaker 1:This isn't just equipment. It's someone's hope. We are bringing hope to someone to improve their quality of life. That's a reason to be excited. That's a reason to know what you're doing has a direct impact on someone's life. Connect with one person on purpose. This will help you in redefining and reigniting your purpose. Find that person in the department that's passionate and ask them how do you keep your passion? What is it that you do? Maybe they listen to Beyond Clean on the way to work every day, which I love to do because I love the content. That's empowering and educating you to be the best that you can be right. Make someone laugh. Ask someone how they're doing For real, offer encouragement. Culture isn't changed in meetings y'all. It's changed in the day-by-day things that we do. These are things you can do to really redefine your purpose.
Speaker 1:Reflect Don't just recover. Maybe you got off work for the day. Don't just go home, but reflect on your day. Were there any situations that you could have handled differently? Was there anything that you could have improved on? Don't just go home. Change. Go home. Think about your day. How could I improve better? You know, I had a situation recently that I looked in retrospect and I realized I could have handled it better. Now I'm going to grow. From that. I was able to talk to my coworkers and I was able to apologize for something that I had done to improve. We're all improving, constantly improving, and so don't just reflect, don't just recover. Make sure you're reflecting as well At the end of the shift.
Speaker 1:Don't just drag yourself to your car, pause and ask what did I protect today? What pressure did I push through? Who did I help today? Let pressure did I push through. Who did I help today? Let the weight of the wind sit with you. Let the weight of the wind sit with you. And then celebrate the invincible. No one may see your work, but that doesn't make it invincible. Celebrate it anyway.
Speaker 1:Another tray turned, another patient protected, another scope cleaned. Another opportunity for someone's relative to find out how far they are in a condition, or maybe that they don't have one. Say it, own it. Celebrate it even if no one else does. And then remember the power, the shift that you're on. That's another segment I want to cover the power of the shift that you're on Day shift, pm shift, graves or nocturnals or overnights.
Speaker 1:These three shifts, every one of them has a power and I've worked all them. So let me tell you something sterile processing family. You may not have a stethoscope, you may not walk into the OR, you may not get rounds of applause, but you're the first line of defense, the silent warriors, the unsung protectors, and every shift you show up with excellence and purpose. You're changing lives, even if you never see their face. I always tell people my customers are not the patients, because to me a customer is someone I can demonstrate good or bad customer service to. My customer is the nurse, the scrub tech, the vendors, the doctors, you, my fellow sterile processors. You're the ones I have the opportunity to demonstrate a good attitude or to demonstrate a bad attitude. So I want to make sure I'm demonstrating a positive attitude to my fellow peers in sterile processing, and every shift you show up with excellence and purpose. You're changing lives.
Speaker 1:The power of the shift isn't in how easy it was, it's in how it was, in how intentional you made it it was. It's in how it was, in how intentionally you made it. Remember that your shift is important and what you do is important. If you're out there and you're saying, you know what, I'm not important. Listen, I'm blowing that up today ka-boom, ka-bow like batman. Right, piff bow, boom, boom, right. We're destroying that today, because what you do is so important, who you are is so important. You are somebody and what you do, regardless what you think, has a direct impact on someone's life. And so, on behalf of all the sterile processing leaders, educators, we salute you.
Speaker 1:Sterile processing week is in October and I think it's good to celebrate the SPD techs, but sterile processing week is every day. We celebrate you every day. And so you know, one time someone says, sometimes you'll hear people say it's just another day, right, you stop you breathe. So the next time someone says it's just another day, you stop breathe and you say, oh, no, not for me. Not when your hands are holding someone's future, not when your focus could be the difference between safe or sorry, and not when your shift. This shift might be the one someone's life depends on. Every shift, we are as Lassone Amos at Kaiser Permanente, my friend who's now a scrub tech from Sterile Processing said we are saving lives. This is Sterile Processing, this is mission critical, and there's no such thing as just another day. This is that Sterilization Empowerment Podcast, known as the Sterilization Station. I'm bill rochelle. Until next time, stay sharp, stay sterile, stay lit with purpose, because what you do today echoes forever. Have a great day and remember that this is not just another day. Outro Music.
