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
Meet the Hero's keeping patients safe with Dr. Raynetta Stansil
Dr. Raynetta Stansil, Director of Sterile Processing and Surgical Services at the University of Illinois , shares her journey from surgical technologist to executive leadership and reveals how critical thinking transforms technicians into leaders.
• Dr. Stansil's entry into sterile processing began when making friends with SPD staff during quiet trauma shift weekends
• Critical thinking is the essential skill that separates technicians from leaders in sterile processing
• Experience often trumps education in SPD leadership - "that degree means nothing, those years of experience mean everything"
• Leaders should maintain an open-door policy to prevent burnout and support mental health needs
• Working "as if your mother, child, sister or brother is on the OR table" creates the right mindset for quality work
• Don't let lack of formal education stop you from applying for leadership positions - "if you don't put your name in the hat, we're not going to know to pick you"
• Effective mentorship requires understanding what each individual needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach
• Success requires action, not just dreams: "nothing comes to sleepers but dreams"
Welcome to the Sterilization Station, the podcast where we shine a spotlight on the people who make patient safety possible, one tray at a time. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and today's guest is someone whose story is going to challenge and inspire you. She's a leader, an educator, a voice for change and a reminder that sterile processing is more than a job. It's a platform for excellence. And so joining me today is Dr Renetta Stancil, director of Sterile Processing and Surgical Services at the University of Chicago, illinois, entrepreneur, healthcare consultant and a champion of behind-the-scenes professionals like you. And so Dr Renetta Stensel is the director of sterile processing, with over 17 years in healthcare, and she's grown from certified surgical technologist to executive leader. She holds a doctorate in healthcare administration, a master's in health administration and certifications including CRCST, cis, chl, cer and so many more. She's also a mentor, a business owner.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I'm glad to be here. Thank you, yeah.
Speaker 1:And that was a good intro.
Speaker 2:Thank you, that was hyping me up. I'm like, is she now? I'm joking that's.
Speaker 1:That is her, she. She comes with a lot of a lot of you know, certifications, background, someone that's invested in her education and no doubt that's created opportunities for you, open doors to you, but also has been there to help you to, to create, you know, process improvements and know better in industry than no doubt that you're very passionate about. So so so what? Thank you, yes, really really glad to have you. So what drew you to sterile processing in the first place?
Speaker 2:Well, actually, like as you said, I used to be a surgical technician, which I say once you're a surgical tech, you're always a surgical tech at heart. What drew me downstairs were friends. So at one point in time I worked midnight to weekends because I was a trauma tech and so during those hours nobody else is there besides sterile processing, and so I became friendly with the staff down there. So I used to go down there and they taught me I'm like, because I'm bored, show me what you guys do. They started me off with basins and that's how I started, and then it gradually went up. They was happy to have, you know, free help. Somebody helped them with trays and I was happy to not be bored on midnight or weekend so I won't fall asleep and get in trouble. So that's how I got into it, and these individuals were so passionate about the job and that's what inspired me to move forward into the SPD space.
Speaker 1:That's really great. I'm also a surgical technology by education. I've only scrubbed a few cases for the hospital I'm at now just because I was in this car accident last year.
Speaker 2:But that's all right. You still have a surgical tech at heart. You never lose it. You never lose it.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Those words of encouragement are ringing clear today, so thank you very much. What do you feel was the biggest mindset shift that helped you move from a technician into a leader?
Speaker 2:I think the biggest mindset is starting to have critical thinking, and that's one of the things that I try to teach the entry level techs. Now, like you, got to have critical thinking. So if the OR calls down and they say we need this tray and this tray not available, but there's a similar tray, that critical thinking got to kick in to say, hey, we don't have this tray, but we have this tray, which have the items in there, same as supplies or any device that's needed. If there's something similar, that critical thinking has to kick in. And then inhibition when you become a leader, it just has to continue to grow, because we're not perfect, as you know, so we're going to have mistakes, there's going to be things that happen, but we have to be able to remedy those quickly because there's a patient on the table or a patient that's about to roll into the OR soon. So we don't want to be SPD never wants to be the reason for the delay.
Speaker 1:So that critical thinking is important. That's really good.
Speaker 2:Because the OR doesn't know something. They are not aware of the hundreds of trays and what's similar they know. In this case, I need A, b, c, d, e tray, and so sometimes we are tunnel vision on what we need for that tray, that patient, and unless you're experienced and sometimes it's not experienced, you know search for text to know the variations of all the trays. That themselves, critical thinking, say okay, we don't have that, we can do this. So sometimes we have to be the hero and do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good. So how do you feel that pursuing those goals, how did that shape your leadership style?
Speaker 2:Believe it. So it's going to be a catch 22. I believe it shaped it, but it didn't shape it Because, although I do have education, I do believe you do not need to have education to be a good leader or to shape yourself to be a leader. What I do believe is that some education can help shape you to be a better project manager, can help you better critical thinking and things like that. I know some wonderful managers that didn't go to school and they just technician lead supervisor manager. They just, you know, took the ladder all the way up. So I don't believe it's necessary, but I do believe that some classes will help shape you as a person, which ultimately can shape you as a leader.
Speaker 1:That's really good. I really like that a lot because I'm not a person that has a bachelor's degree or like a higher form of education, but I do know that I've been able to learn a lot of experiences through different training or just being around a manager that really just kind of inspired you through their leadership style. So I really like what you were saying. That's really really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think what's most important over education is a good mentor. I believe that's. I had a mentor. I mentor people. Now I have I'm not going to mention his name, but I have a mentee and he only has his associate's degree and he's a manager and he's a great manager and oftentimes he'll joke with me like, hey, raynetta, I think I can run circles around you. I'm like you probably could. He was like you know. He jokes and say I know you got some degrees, but I got four years experience and you're not probably run circles. I'm like you, probably absolutely can. That degree means nothing, so the years of experience means everything. So I truly believe that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good. So I truly believe that, yes, really good. So what would you say to a tech who's intimidated by certification or further education?
Speaker 2:I will tell. I will say what I always tell the technician you have to get certified and it's not, and it could be hard for some people. But I always tell them don't cheat the system, Read the whole book. Because I have had technicians that come back and they didn't pass, and I know they know the job. And my first question is did you read the book? And they'd be like no, I didn't read the whole book. You have to read the whole book because the test is more so on. Why are you doing this? Not that you can't do it, because we know you can't, but why are you doing this? And that's most important. But the certification test it just shows that you have a passion for your field and you want to be recognized as somebody who took the extra time to study and took the extra time to take the test and pay for the test, and that just means a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good. So let's say there's a technician sees a posting for a leadership role and they don't have like a bachelor's or an associate's or anything like that and maybe they feel intimidated, like what advice or what would you say to them, just with your experience as someone that is interested in maybe pursuing that, would you, what would you encourage them?
Speaker 2:I would encourage them to apply, move forward and try to get the job, because if you have more years of experience if I got two candidates and one has a degree and they have five years experience then the next person has 10 years, eight years, and don't have a degree. I'm going by years of experience because you have seen different things, you have learned different technicians, you have picked up all these little skills from various people, because we all know there's different ways to skin a cat as long as you don't abide by the standards, but there's different ways to skin a cat. So I always will pick experience, always over someone who's certified up or degreed up. That experience means everything when it comes to running a department, when it comes to you don't even have to be a certified leader. When I say that, I mean you can just be a lead tech, and not by title, but by how you act in a department, and that's what matters, yeah that's really good.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you for sharing that, because I know sometimes people can get caught up on. Should I submit this application? I don't have this. I don't have that, you know. I just wanted to see what your thoughts were about how they should approach that. So I really enjoy what you said.
Speaker 2:Because my thing is, if you don't put your name in the hat, we're not going to know to pick you, and it's just that's right. Put your name in the hat.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's good. So how do you lead your department? How does a manager lead their department through pressure without burning people out?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's important to express to your technicians work-life balance, because it's going to be rough days and SPD is going to be some rough days, but just don't take it home. And then, whatever you got at home, don't bring it here. So it's going to be some rough days and you know, just encourage your technicians. My favorite thing to tell them is work and act as if your mother, your child, your sister, your brother is on the OR table. We say table, but we know it's a bed, but you know, act as if they are up there. That's how you clean these trays, that's how you sterilize these trays, that's how you inspect them trays. And over that, at any given moment, it could be you. I've literally had employees that I've had to wheel to the ER. It could be you going right on upstairs to that OR. So that's the main thing. It could be you or someone you love who's going to use your trade.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good. Now I know also you've worked across multiple roles what's the most misunderstood part of SPD leadership.
Speaker 2:The most misunderstood part is that SPD is responsible for a whole lot of stuff and sometimes I have to tell people, like you know, spd may well, the OR sometimes and I come from the OR Sometimes the OR likes to give SPD an overexpand duty or view and that's sometimes we have to tell them like okay, wait a minute. Some of these technicians don't have an A&P background, so you got to be a little gentle with them. Sometimes they don't know until they experience technician. If they're a newbie, sometimes they don't know the different medical terms to associate Okay, you can use this tray or you can use this supply. Sometimes they don't know the different medical terms associated OK, you can use this tray or you can use this supply. They just don't know.
Speaker 2:And sometimes that has to be explained to OR people. Like you know, you got to know your audience and yes, there are some people in SPD who who has taken a class, but there's absolutely some that hasn't. Some of my best employees are individuals that came from EBS Best employees and you train them up and they are great technicians. But if they're, you know, fresh through the door, just got off orientation, they still have some weathering to do to know the different body parts, the medical terms, what this tray really means. You know by the name and things like that, and so the OR has to understand that.
Speaker 1:That's really good. So when you talk about burnout, like what are some things you as a manager, like what are some things you do to help an employee not to be burnt out? How do you help, you know, an employee that you feel is burnt out? Anyways, I just want to go a little more into this because I think it's something that is very common in SBD.
Speaker 2:So I keep an open door policy. Fortunately for me, my door is always open, so my technicians are comfortable Technicians, managers, providers, blah blah, blah, blah blah. Comfortable enough to come in and say, right now, I need a mental health day. I'm like, absolutely, take it Absolutely. Or comfortable enough to say right now that I need a half a day. And sometimes they try to explain to me. I'm like I don't need no explanation on why you need a day off. If you need it off, you need it off Because we all can potentially go through some burnout or try to get to that peak of not going over into burnout Because SPD people don't believe it.
Speaker 2:But it's a hard job and it takes a lot of thinking. It take a lot of standing, take a lot of business. Sometimes it can be a tedious job if you weren't prepared or if you apply for the job and didn't really know what the job is. So one of my favorite questions that I ask people when they apply, those who haven't had the experience what is SPD in your perception? What do you think it is? What do you think the job entails?
Speaker 2:And sometimes it is disappointing to have people you know interview and don't have a clue. And so I tell them OK, I'm going to interview you, but I need for you to go on YouTube what it is, because this will prevent you in the future from quitting the field. Because we need people to come in and we need people to stay, especially those who have a heart for this job, because if you don't have a heart for this job, you're going to really burn out really quickly. Yeah, that's true. So we need you to be dedicated. We need you to be confident enough that you know the job. I need for you to come to work and be honest, transparent, bring that. I'm burnt out. I need a day, I need two days, and if I can give it to you, I will. If not, let's compromise on when I can.
Speaker 1:There you go. That's good, that's really good, I think it could be overworked, understaffed.
Speaker 2:Same difference kind of Just depends. You know, understaffed now you're overworking, I think it could be. You may be intimidated by other technicians in there, so you're not doing what you need to do or you believe you're moving too slow or you're moving too fast. It can even be I've made a couple of mistakes this week and so now my self-esteem is a little down, and that can lead to burnout too, because if you don't have somebody sitting there motivating you, telling you it's OK, mistakes happen sometimes.
Speaker 2:They happen sometimes. Some mistakes can be intentional. If you're not following the eye of you, it can be a magnet to the things, because you know everybody's threshold is different on stress. But you know everybody's threshold is different on stress. But you know SPD is not for the weak, it's not for the weak. You got to come in here and have the passion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good, dr Renette, I was just thinking too. One thing I would love to hear your thoughts about is, you know, it's just the word, just the opportunity for growth being present in the organizations. And I think that sometimes when people get burnt out the times I've been, like you know, looking to transition into a new hospital, is because maybe there wasn't a lot of opportunity, you know, there at that facility. So do you think lack of opportunity for growth in an apartment or an organizational hospital, do you think that could be also a part of burnout sometimes?
Speaker 2:I think that can contribute too, because there are some departments that there's literally technicians, maybe a supervisor, and then it jumped to a manager. So there's no lead techs, there's no tech twos, no tech threes potentially. And that can be discouraging when you are going to work and busting your butt and you can't move forward. You might have more income, but if your goal is to be a manager, a lead, a supervising, you can't move forward, you're just lateral. That can be burnout too. I can see it, I know for sure, and I know people that you know move around to different hospitals because they want their higher position and sometimes we take a pay cut. But the goal is to move forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good, oh, it's really good. So you definitely have a lot of experiences dealing with, you know, in leadership you're going to deal with culture issues. You're going to deal with, you know, toxicity burnout. You're going to deal with the lack of growth or even, sometimes, even just I think they use the term like surgical conscience, and so it's just knowing, like, what to do. So, um, and and keeping those things in front of you, if you don't mind me asking, like just had I know this isn't one of the questions that I had asked you, but what are some things currently that in your role that you're, you know, working through and, um, like, how are those things? Like, like, what is it? What do you? What are you working at? What is the outcome for it? And just, I was kind of curious to hear, like, what's your, if I was to take your pulse right now like, what are some things that you're dealing with in your role.
Speaker 2:Some of the things that I'm working through at my place now is eliminating, because I'm new there, so I'm 16 months. That's still new. That's still new when you have a large crew in a lot of cases. So I am currently working on minimizing or eliminating one-of-a-kind trays. So that's one, and that requires data, because if you don't have a budget for it and I'm coming to you and say, hey, I need people to buy these five trays, these 10 trays, these 20 trays, which will help us SPD, ultimately help you in the OR, so then we're not trying to turn over the tray, potentially delaying the next case. You know everything that comes with that. So that's one of the things that I'm working with. Another thing that I'm working with is working with contracted staff. So you know that's another thing, because those individuals are not hospital employees, which requires a different leadership with those employees, because then you have others under you that are managing that staff, and so you and that person has to have a great relationship so ultimately, you can be managing that staff together.
Speaker 2:A previous challenge that I had, and I'm sure many have had this, is when you are at a hospital and it's union staff, and so, although I love the union. Nothing against the union. I've been on the union before as an employee. It's when it's time to terminate employees and that's from a leadership standpoint. Sometimes you know it takes a while and it takes a lot to get rid of those bad apples when they're under the union. So it's definitely a challenge, but it's also a great experience to be a leader over union staff members.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good. I was wondering what's one of your favorite quotes that motivate you right now.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite quotes and I don't know who said it, so I'm going to say unknown, but one of my favorite quotes is nothing comes to sleepers but dreams. And the reason why I believe that? Because you got to put even the Bible tells you, you got to put action behind what you do. Sometimes they just come to you, Great, but sometimes it takes that action to move forward, that momentum to move forward. And so, and if you just sleeping and dreaming but you're not ready to wake up and put those dreams in action, you just asleep.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good. Yeah, wake up and smell the coffee and everything else and get moving.
Speaker 2:Or the next person going to get going. That's the same as the early bird get the worm. Same thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's right, that's good. What's what's one leadership lesson? You had to learn the hard way.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go back to being a leader over the union and I don't want people to think I don't like the union, but it was eye opening and it taught me a lot and so that was one of my biggest lessons on how to deal with the union, deal with union staff. It's a good experience because you'll see, even in job descriptions sometimes they want to have experience with the union. So that required me as a leader, to have to read the book not a standard book, but the union book and literally go by that book on how you treat the employees, how you can move forward with termination, how you have to coach them. So it was lessons too, and it taught me how to be a better coacher. As in C-O-A-C-H, you know how to coach people better with being you know over the union.
Speaker 1:Good, that's really good, these experiences you're purchasing. You purchase things through what we go through and so that's really good to hear that experience that you had. No doubt there's people who will listen into this podcast and will have gone through a very similar situation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a good experience. And it also teaches you not to use your emotions. So it teaches you those steps Like, although what you thought that person did was terrible and you want to fire them, but we need you to coach them and you think I got to coach them, they should be fired, you know. So that was the benefit of being a leader in that position.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good. You actually there's something that hit my mind earlier, but I think we went in a different direction, but just around mentorship. We went in a different direction, but just around mentorship. So when you think about as a leader and you're mentoring, you know whether it's employees or new leaders, like what are? What is your style of mentorship when it comes to leading people? Like, say, you have a new supervisor, a new lead, tech, or like, what's your style to mentoring people?
Speaker 2:So my style I'm mostly a person that coaches and also transformational because I am a coach a licensed, certified coach too. But one of my favorite things to ask people thank you, one of my favorite things to ask people is what do you need from me?
Speaker 2:Because what you need, bill, and what Rebecca need is two different things. So what do you need from me? And then I have to work from that and my approach will have to be different, my tone will have to be different. So the mentorship is just different. It's what you need and sometimes you might be mentoring me. You know what I'm saying Because you might tell me. So I'm like, hey, I had that same story and I did it this way. You'd be like, well, I would have did it this way. You just mentor me.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that's really good. I like that a lot because it's almost like value added mentorship, right, it's like you're looking at the best way to like what is it that you need? That's really, really good because you're kind of I'm a parabolicist, like I break into parables. My friends say, okay, I always look at the parable. I call it the parable of the syringe, you know, because the syringe is just a tool. I call it the parable of a syringe, you know, because a syringe is just a tool, but the purpose of a syringe is to extract or pull a substance out of a vial to turn kind of, you know, allowing them to be a participator and setting expectations so that now you know how to. You know, map that out, map out their plan or their coaching.
Speaker 2:So that's really good. We're all different and we all have different ways to lead. Like you may be a transactional leader you know what I'm saying which I really call myself transformational and transactional. But I could potentially be just transformational. You could be transactional, which means I have to mentor you based off me knowing that's how you mentor or that's how you lead Strictly numbers, strictly transactional.
Speaker 2:You're going to do this and you want this, you don't want to coach in between you want this and this, so you got a mentor and teach based off that.
Speaker 1:That's really good.
Speaker 2:Plenty of times I've had to pull and sometimes we think we're right. We just think we're right, whether it's me, you, whoever, we think we're right. Plenty of times I have had to pull technicians in my office and say you need to apologize for so-and-so. What you did was out of line. I know you don't believe it was out of line, but it was out of line and I need you for me to go apologize.
Speaker 1:And sometimes that make it better, and sometimes it's like I don't want to apologize. You're a channel changer for culture, so you're changing the channel by helping them to see that you know this is those saying take one for the team right.
Speaker 2:We all have had to do, and if we haven't had to yet, we're going to. That's good. Especially as a leader, because you ain't got no choice but to take one for the team and be happy to do it and then fuss about it later, but in the moment you got to take it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's really good. Well, I really appreciate you coming on today on the podcast. You know just really a heart-to-heart kind of fireside chat just talking about the different things that you've experienced in your leadership and even in your growth in sterile processing. So I'm just really, really, really glad. Do you have any word of encouragement or anything for the listeners of Sterilization Station, anything you have for the viewers today?
Speaker 2:I would just tell them keep going, just keep going, whatever it is. If you're a tech one, want to be a tech two, keep going. If you want to be a lead, a supervisor, manager, it's even different roles. Now it's project management at SPD. My department right now is going through construction. I consider myself a little mini project manager. So whatever it is you want to do, just keep going. Don't be scared to do it. And if you're scared to do, just keep going, don't be scared to do it. And if you're scared to do it, go talk to somebody that's doing it and hopefully they can motivate you to keep going.
Speaker 1:There you go. You heard it right there from Dr Renata Stancil. She's dropping bombs on us. I hope you are. You know I always tell people bring your net, grab all the gold, everything that's flying. That's what we like to do here is you know? This is an empowerment podcast for sterile processing. So we want to definitely empower, and Dr Renata Stensel is a living reminder that excellence isn't accidental but it's intentional, and her story shows us, with the right mindset, mentorship and message, sterile processing can be a launchpad, not a limit. So if you're listening in for the first time, please make sure you subscribe to Sterilization Station and Dr Stensel. If they want to reach you, what's the best way for someone if they're listening, if they want to get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, if they want to get in touch with me, they can look me up on LinkedIn. First name is R-A-Y-N-E-T-T-A. Last name Stancil S-T-A-N-C-I-L. You will see my beautiful face there. Reach out to me through Messenger. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Awesome. We really appreciate you coming on here, thank you. Thank you so much and just as a reminder, if you are in sterile processing and you want to grow, please remember that Sterilization Station does have a three-tier coaching program for students, externs and anyone wanting to level up. I have a Google form that you can fill out. I'll put it in the show notes. I'm really glad that you came on the show. If there's ever any topics that you'd love to discuss, sterilization Station is here to service the community. So, dr Stansel, please let us know. If there's anything you would like to come back, everyone's always welcome back on.
Speaker 2:Sterilization Station Bring me back.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. I really appreciate you coming on. This was great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1:And you have everyone out there. Have a great day.
Speaker 2:Yes, all right, thank you. Have a great day.
