Beyond Clean

Even though their tools and equipment touch nearly every surgical patient in the world, how much do you really know about the people, processes, and products used in the Sterile Processing industry? The Beyond Clean podcast offers a creative look into the inner workings of a healthcare industry surrounded by challenges, disrupted by change, and committed to getting it right — every instrument, every time. The team at Beyond Clean will bring on some of the biggest names in surgical instrument reprocessing and provide commentary on the biggest issues facing Sterile Processing professionals, facilities, administrators, manufacturers, and vendors. Join us every week as we explore the hidden world of one of the most important aspect of safe surgical care.

Episodes

Reusable Cleaning Tools: Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Your Favorite Brush? | Expert Series On-The-Go

On this week’s edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, “Reusable Cleaning Tools: Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Your Favorite Brush?”. To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828

Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you’d love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via email at: info@beyondclean.net

Until next time, keep fighting dirty!

#SterileProcessing #BeyondClean #ExpertSeries #Podcast

“I Got It!”: Why Initiative Makes the Sterile Processing World Go Round”

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch describes how initiative makes all the difference in Sterile Processing — “Something as mundane as an alarming buzzer on a cart washer, has a way of separating the can-do and will-do personalities from the can’t-, won’t-, or won’t-do-it-with-a-smile-on-my-face members of our team. We learn a lot about the inner drive of the SPD technician who is the first to yell, “I got it!” when that buzzer goes off for the tenth time of the night. And we learn just as much about the technician who pretends to be too busy, too focused, or selectively deaf to the inconvenience that initiative calls them to take part in.”

#sterileprocessing #wefightdirty

Dosing Spotlight: Good Policies and Best Practice | Expert Series On-The-Go

On this week’s edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, “Dosing Spotlight: Good Policies and Best Practice.” To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828

Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you’d love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via email at: info@beyondclean.net

Until next time, keep fighting dirty!

#SterileProcessing #BeyondClean #ExpertSeries #Podcast

It’s Time to Call It: Unleashing the Power of the Conference Call for Sterile Processing Improvement

In this episode of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch considers a powerful leadership tool and what prevents leaders from using it:  — “It is understandably hard for some of us to admit when we do not know how to fix something ourselves, especially if we are department managers or directors with departments full of technicians looking to us for direction on a daily basis. Admitting we don’t have all the answers shows weakness, and if you are not filled to the brim with self-confidence, this tinge of weakness can be all it takes to keep us from ever picking up the phone in the first place.”

#sterileprocessing #wefightdirty

The Rep Is Not Optimizing Your Inventory | Expert Series On-The-Go

On this week’s edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, “The Rep Is Not Optimizing Your Inventory.” To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828

Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you’d love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via email at: info@beyondclean.net

Until next time, keep fighting dirty!

#SterileProcessing #BeyondClean #ExpertSeries #Podcast

Twas the (Real) Night Before Surgery: An Ode to Christmas in Sterile Processing

“Twas the night before surgery, when all through decon,

Not a case cart was waiting, all the surgeons were gone;

The scopes were all hung in their cabinets with care,

In hopes that surveyors might smile on them there;

The trays were nestled all snug on the shelves;

Put there by third shift, the SPD elves;

Jill in her scrub hat, and I in my cover,

Had just settled down for a break room recover,

When out on the floor there arose such a clatter,

We sprang from our chairs to see what was the matter.

Away back to decon I flew like a flash,

Threw open the door and knocked over the trash.

The glare of fluorescence looked like new-fallen snow,

And gave a stainless-reflection on the objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a full set of loaners with a case time so near,

With a little old sales rep so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be Rep. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his excuses they came, 

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Late Booking! now, Last Minute! now No Trays and We Tried! On, Courier Forgot! on, No One Told Me The Time!”

To the edge of the sink! to the top of the washer!

Now wash away! wash away! wash away faster!

As chaff that before a wild hurricane fly,

We heard all the reasons for his late delivery ‘cept why;

Out of the department the sales rep he flew

With all of these trays, old Rep. Nick he knew—

There wasn’t a twinkling, an inkling of chance

That we’d have these sets ready for the case in advance.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Now on the clean side Rep. Nick came with a bound.

He was dressed all in scrubs, from his neck to his feet,

But his scrubs were stamped with the hospital name down the street;

Another bundle of trays he had there in his hands,

With stacks of new implants wrapped in rubber bands.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his red bouffant like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And his beard cover was as white as the snow;

The stick of some Trident he held tight in his teeth,

And the smell of peppermint encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a jolly old sales rep,

But I watched him to ensure he did not skip a step.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head

Soon tried to tell me I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the Synthes; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

Gave us a nod, as out the department he goes;

He glanced at his cell phone, and then threw back a “Thanks,”

As he hurried home for the holidays leaving us in the tank.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he walked out of sight—

“Merry Christmas you guys, and have a great night!”

Written by Hank Balch © 2022.

To all those working hard this holiday season, we see you! Thanks for what you do today, and every day.

Love, the Beyond Clean team!

About Instructor

Hank Balch

Weapon of Mass Microbial Destruction

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