WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE – ISSUE NO. 227

Central Service Week is a chance for us in the Sterile Processing field to shine and to tell our story. This week is for Central Processing/Sterile Processing/Medical Device Reprocessing, or any of the myriad of names for the department and the staff who perform the cleaning, assembling, sterilizing, and distributing of medical devices that are used each day within a medical facility. The size of the facility does not matter, we are everywhere. Our work is seen and used everyday. We are the "Heart of the Hospital" that pumps all day, never stopping whether our department is open for 10 hours or 24 hours every day of the week. Our work is used 24/7 whether we're there or not. We are needed, we make a difference. We make a difference not only at work, but outside of work. Last week, we posted a story about the AAMI FDA meeting, "Summit on Healthcare Technology in Nonclinical Settings Opens with a Call for 'Empathy in Design' ." During this meeting, a special video was shown to the working group. That video featured Michele DeMeo and she shared with them her story on why this summit was important. She explained that what they're working on has a direct impact on the patient, a patient like her. Michele has shown us that we can be active in both our professional and private lives. By sharing her story with us, she is making a difference in not only the sterile processing field but outside of the field as well. Also this week, many of our co-workers are at the AAMI Sterilization Standards Committee in Alexandria ,VA. They're working on the various standards that guide our profession. Others are out telling their story to fellow hospital employees on how vital their work is within their specific facility. We all have stories to tell about our professional and personal lives. Use this week to tell your story about how you and your department are making a difference in and out of the workplace.