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
Trapped or Trained: Why Your Mindset Matters in Sterile Processing
Mindset is everything in sterile processing, where the difference between fixed and growth perspectives determines your ability to thrive amidst complex challenges and high-pressure situations.
• Growth mindset believes abilities improve with effort while fixed mindset assumes skills are static
• Real-world examples show how perspective transforms workplace challenges into learning opportunities
• Catch negative self-talk and use the power of "yet" to reframe limitations as temporary
• Surround yourself with growth-minded colleagues who encourage questions and constructive feedback
• Handle mistakes with grace and responsibility rather than defensiveness
• Ask better questions about the "why" behind sterile processing procedures
• The whole department benefits when individual technicians commit to continuous growth
• You're not stuck or behind—you're in a process of development like instruments being prepared
Keep growing, keep believing, and keep showing up because the cleanest tools come from the strongest minds. Follow us on Instagram @sterilization_station52 or email questions to sterilizationstation@outlook.com.
Welcome back to the Sterilization Station. This is that podcast where we clean up the confusion seen through the stress and disinfect doubt in the world of sterile processing. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and welcome to another episode. I'm so glad you came back today at the Sterilization Station and today's episode might just change the way you see yourself, your coworkers and your career path. So let me ask you a question Do you believe your intelligence and abilities are set in stone or do you believe they can grow? That question is at the heart of what we're unpacking today. That's right unpacking like sterilization. We're unpacking the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset in the world of sterile processing. You see, sterile processing isn't just a technical job. It's a mental game, a learning journey and a place where the right mindset can be the difference between frustration and fulfillment, between burnout and breakthrough. So if you've ever thought I'm just not smart enough for this, or I can't even remember all the trade names, or I'll never be as good as my fellow technicians, then this episode is specifically just for you. So what is a mindset? Let's break it down today, specifically just for you. So what is a mindset? Let's break it down today.
Speaker 1:Psychologist Carol Dweck introduced the idea of two main mindsets. A fixed mindset says my intelligence, my skill, my talent, it is fixed. I either have it or I don't right. A growth mindset says I can improve with effort. I may not know it yet, but I definitely can learn it Now. Think about sterile processing right.
Speaker 1:Every day you're faced with complex trays, surgical specialties, pressure from the OR, high stakes, turnover, time restraint, short staff all these major challenges that can come up in your day as a sterile processor. But in a fixed mindset those challenges feel like threats. Every mistake feels like proof that you're not cut out for it. But in a growth mindset, those same challenges become opportunities when you look at them through the right lens. Right and as Michael E Parker would always say, with you are a CEO. He always says you see what you look for. So make sure you're seeing and looking for the right thing so you can see the right things. Every mistake becomes a lesson when you have a growth mindset. Every shift becomes training. When you have a growth mindset, you're looking at everything through the lens of growth. Every tray you touch makes you better. Every case card that you maybe has presented challenges. The preference card is difficult. You're gonna get better because you're growing as you are going.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about this mindset in the world of sterile processing. So what does this look like in real time? Right, in the decontamination room, in prep and pack in sterilization? Let's take a second to look at just a few examples, right? So let's think about a new technician who struggles to remember the names of the orthopedic trays. What does the fixed mindset say? I'm not good at this, I'll never get it. Maybe I'm not smart enough, right. But that growth mindset says this is hard now, but with repetition I'll get faster. Right, I got so many friends that go to the gym, they work out, they're lifting weights. Right. But you know what, the more you do it the consistency, the repetition you're going to grow, it will get easier and you'll get faster. The growth mindset says let me create flashcards or ask to shadow someone that's experienced. Always think about you want to have the growth mindset, you want to know that you're in it for the long haul and that you want to grow and develop in sterile processing.
Speaker 1:Let's take a look at another scenario. A seasoned tech gets called out for skipping a quality check. Right? What is that fixed mindset going to say? You're going to be thinking they're always picking on me. I've been doing this for years. What does that growth mindset going to say? You're going to be thinking they're always picking on me. I've been doing this for years. What does that growth mindset say? Maybe I got comfortable right. What can I learn from this? Learn from this right, not making excuses. What can I learn and that is that growth mindset how you can grow from the things that you're doing.
Speaker 1:Let's look at example number three a student on X turn who feels overwhelmed. If you're out there in the comments, why don't you comment down? What do you think the fixed mindset is going to say? Everyone else knows what they're doing. I don't belong here. What is that growth mindset going to say? They were once new too. If I keep asking questions and trying, I'm going to improve.
Speaker 1:You know, when I was a student precepting, I had a very tough preceptor. She was always on me and I felt like you know what I felt? Like I wasn't going to make it. I felt like I couldn't get through it. I had a fixed mindset. But you know, I'm so thankful for my wife, who we were dating at the time, and she began to encourage me like well, you're going to let this person you don't even know influence you from this career path that you put the attention, time and attention to. I had to learn through her testimony that she had a growth mindset and I knew that I could have it if I just applied myself right. And so that growth mindset isn't about pretending things are easy, right, you're not pretending that things are easy. It's about believing that effort will work and that effort matters. You know, your brain is like a muscle and every day on the job is a workout, the more your brain is exposed. There's so many scenarios, so many situations, so many personalities, so many different factors that can influence your day, but every day is a workout.
Speaker 1:So how do we shift our mindset? What are some ways we can shift our mindset? You start shifting into a growth mindset, one shift at a time. One shift at a time. Catch your thoughts right. Notice when your inner voice is saying I'm not good at this. I always mess up. I can't learn this.
Speaker 1:Take a second to stop, call a timeout, mentally, breathe and ask yourself this question Ponder, meditate on this question. What would a growth mindset say? Instead, use the power of yet right, the word yet Not. I can't, not, I won't, but a yet Yet says I don't know this yet, I'm not fast enough yet, I haven't mastered this yet. Think about the word.
Speaker 1:Yet that one little word opens up the future Track progress, not perfection. We want to track our progress. We don't want to be trying to be perfect in every little thing. We want to make sure we're tracking our progression and we're moving forward in the right direction, right? So instead of asking, did I do it perfectly? Ask, did I learn something today? Did I ask for help when I needed it? Did I bounce back from a mistake? That's growth Learning. Asking for help, willingness to bounce back these are all signs of growth. They relate to other areas of life as well as in sterile processing. Then you want to make sure you surround yourself with growth-minded people you know. Think about people who you know have a growth mindset or have that eye. They're looking from the lens of growth and maturity. And make sure you're around these people who are in that environment that you're going to create around you right, looking for mentors, co-workers, leaders who encourage you, encourage questions, celebrate effort and give constructive feedback.
Speaker 1:If someone says you'll never get it, they're in a fixed mindset. Recognize, listen for those You'll never get it. You can't do this. That's a fixed mindset and remember that's not your story. That's not a part of your story. Don't even let it be a chapter in your life that you don't want that right. This reminds me of imposter syndrome. I did a two-part series on it Someone who says they can't do something, I won't do nothing. Don't let that. Don't let imposter be on your roster. Don't let it be a part of the things that you do, the qualities and the characteristics that you have. So be very conscientious about those that you're around who have that fixed mindset and remember that's not your story.
Speaker 1:Why does a growth mindset matter in sterile processing? Let's talk about this in this episode. Why does a growth mindset matter in sterile processing? Sterile processing is such a critical department and aspect of patient positive outcomes, patient safety, but it's also complex and the learning curve can be steep. A growth mindset is gonna help you in how you handle mistakes with grace and responsibility, making sure that you're growing in grace, that you're learning as you're going, and make sure you reach out to those around you who can help you to grow. A growth mindset will help you to ask better questions, learn the why, behind what we do Sterile processing we are destroying microorganisms. We are cleaning, reprocessing medical instrumentation. We're testing those instrumentation, making sure we're doing quality checks, making sure that everything is 100% up to the tip top shape, because our patients deserve that. They deserve the best.
Speaker 1:When I first started my instructor, ms Peoples she told me there's only three things that matter in sterile processing the patient, the patient. And the patient Reminds me of a good friend of mine who says it's so important to read, read, read so you know what. It's good to ask good questions and to learn and to grow and remember that everything we do is centered around the patient. A growth mindset is gonna help you learn faster and more deeply because you're gonna be asking those questions. Why do we clean that instrument like that? Why do we have to pick that case card like that? Why do we have to doff our PPE in a certain pattern? Understand the why it's so important. Don't be a button pusher. Be a person who understands what you're doing. There's a science behind sterile processing. Make sure you understand and why, and understand that. That's very important when it comes to sterilization and the department that we work at in providing great, positive patient outcomes.
Speaker 1:Earn the respect of your peers. A growth mindset is going to be concentrated on growing, which is going to earn the respect to your peers. Your peers are going to look up to you when they know that you're someone who has a desire to grow and to learn that. When you see a loaner come in, you're wondering what case is that for? Who's the doctor? Did they fill out the paperwork? Do we have the IFU for it? When you're looking at the biologicals and you're doing your quality documentation for your loads and wanna make sure all your verification testing is done, you're going to learn your respect. They're going to know that you're a person who knows the job and takes the job very serious. And the growth mindset also is going to build confidence without arrogance, not being prideful or having so much confidence that you come across the wrong way. So these are some things that are really important as you consider a growth mindset. Like I was mentioning, handling mistakes with grace, asking better questions, learning faster and deeply earn the respect to your peers and build confidence without arrogance is so important.
Speaker 1:Remember it's not just about being positive, it's also about being purposeful. Make sure we're being purposeful because what we do has a direct impact on our patients' lives, and remember we also have family out there, so everything we're doing is having an impact on our family. So make sure that you are a person that is not just being positive but also being purposeful. Understanding what we do is a part of the growth mindset, because when your mindset grows, you grow. And remember mindset is focus. What do you focus on? Do you understand? Are you concerned about growing? Looking at the eye, looking out through the eye of growth, growing through everything.
Speaker 1:When a situation happens, you can grow. When something happens you don't know, you get to ask questions. You're going to get that knowledge. If you don't know the answer, the greatest thing you can have is a question, because the question will lead you to answers and, as you grow, the whole department will benefit from it. This is why in-services education is so important, because it gives us an environment. It creates an opportunity for us to grow and to learn. We get new instruments, trace systems, come in and we get to sit down and actually learn these by the vendor educators that come in and they begin to educate us, and so this is really, really important when you're thinking about the growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.
Speaker 1:So let me leave you with this today from the sterilization station Remember, you are not stuck, you are not behind and you are not broken, but you are in progress. That's a growth mindset you are in the motion of developing. You know it talks about a lot about how who understands how a child grows in the womb of its mother? Inside of the womb there's a trimester, there's three phases to the birth and how that is growing in a place that you don't understand. And sometimes you're going to feel that way. You're going to feel like you're in the womb, you're in that cocoon and you're being transformed. But you're learning and you're growing and the more you endure through it, asking questions, being proactive to learn, putting yourself in those situations just like every trade that enters decon, you're in a process of becoming sterile, right Refined and ready for the next case. And that process is a beautiful process, ladies and gentlemen. It's beautiful, it's worthy, it's valuable. So the next time you feel overwhelmed, the next time you compare yourself to someone else, remember they are just further down the line and your turn is coming.
Speaker 1:So if this episode lit something up inside, you share it with your team, your fellow students or that coworker who's been feeling stuck and if you're listening on Apple or Spotify, hit subscribe. Please drop a five-star review and let us know what you want us to talk about. You can follow us on Instagram sterilization underscore station 52. Linkedin on bill Rochelle. You can find me on Facebook sterilization station.
Speaker 1:If you have any questions. Please email me at sterilization station and outlook calm for bonus tips behind the scenes and mindset quotes to keep you fired up. Remember we're here to service you. Until next time, I'm Bill Rochelle reminding you keep growing, keep believing and keep showing up, because the cleanest tools come from the strongest minds. Thank you very much and remember, today we are talking about a great subject and that is a subject that is impactful to a lot of people. In sterile processing, we're talking about mind over matter, unlocking growth in sterile processing. We'll see you in the next video. Stay encouraged, stay uplifted, be the change you want to see in the world and make sure you hit that bell, like and subscribe to Sterilization Station, the empowerment podcast of sterile processing. May God bless you.
