THANKSGIVING – ISSUE NO. 233

This is the time of the year that many of us get together and celebrate with our family and friends; to share how thankful we are to have them in our lives. I want to take this time to highlight another SPD to let them know we are thankful for what they do day in and day out for their patients and for their profession. Today we thank Tri-City Medical Center Surgical Services in Oceanside, CA. Debra Mendez, the Manager of SPD, took the time to share what her department did during Sterile Processing Week after reading our update on "Making a Difference": The SPD department and the staff are sometimes forgotten. They are there 24/7 for patients and staff, but sometimes out of sight out of mind. SPD is in the basement tucked away with no windows. Various hospital staff started rounding (visiting) departments and one thing that came out of this was that many people did not knew who we are. In past years, we had talked about doing an open house, and so this year we held an open house and opened it to everyone in the hospital. We gave tours of the department. We had door prizes, and staged our conference room with different facts and materials. Our hope was to bring a new awareness regarding the SPD Department and the Sterile Processing Technicians. We had the resource material we use available for others to see, such as the ANSI/AAMI, CDC Guidelines, the IAHCSMM textbook and other items, as well as, the training staff must go through in order to sit for the Certification Exam. We tested visitors' knowledge by having sterile and non-sterile examples and we displayed some of the more involved IFU's. It was a great turnout and our visitors left with a new appreciation for SPD and what we do. I would encourage every SPD to take the time to share your story with your fellow workers.