As a sterile processing technician who has spent the last 4 years traveling across the US, I have witnessed many dynamics and situations that make or break the success of a sterile processing department. When all is said and done, no matter what the challenge is, we can always trace it back to leadership. Sterile processing leaders carry much weight on their shoulders as the department leader is steering the team. The question is, which way are you steering your sterile processing department, and how can you ensure that you are guiding your teams toward successful outcomes?
Sterile processing departments play a critical role in the perioperative world as the first line of defense in infection prevention, providing safely for-use instrumentation and equipment for medical and surgical procedures. Sterile processing departments require management oversight of daily operations to promote accountability and ensure that regulations, requirements, and standards from organizations such as the CDC, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation are being adhered to.
If you are a leader who feels disengaged from your team, now is the time to begin taking steps to become more involved.
- Get to know your staff and build trust and respect by being realistic and transparent whenever possible.
- Be clear about your expectations for individual employees and the team.
- Dedicate time to interact with staff, discuss workflows and operations by holding shift huddles, and build rapport by connecting with staff individually through routine employee rounding.
- Create a communication binder for updates regarding cases, medical devices, priority instrument sets, and planned events such as educational services, especially if a daily huddle is not possible.
- Ensure you check in with your team leads and supervisors daily to keep yourself informed shift by shift. Being more present with your team sends the message that you are available and approachable, which, in turn, earns the trust of your team members. It is one thing to say you have an open-door policy and another to show it. Remember, actions speak louder than words.
Sterile processing department leaders ensure that daily operations run smoothly. However, daily challenges such as staffing shortages and high employee turnover, outdated equipment, the growing complexity of medical devices and surgical instrumentation, and space and design constraints due to the rise in surgical case volumes year over year lead to more meetings, paperwork, and documentation; time that is pulling sterile processing managers away from their departments making it more challenging to oversee the daily operations and be engaged with the teams that they lead. The irony is that these challenges pull leadership away from their teams and into more meetings, which are the same issues, making it more critical than ever to be present and engaged.
There is much to be desired regarding leadership engagement in sterile processing departments across the US. The industry's lack of standardization and variations in organizational charts from the healthcare system to the healthcare system poses challenges to the level at which sterile processing health care leaders can be available and hands-on within their departments.
The burning question is, what does it take to be an effective leader of a sterile processing department in health care’s current climate and in the future? In creating and fostering a culture of patient-centered care, with a primary focus on infection prevention and quality, our leadership styles must align with the attributes that will put this mentality at the forefront of our daily operations. Studies show that the most effective leadership styles in health care promote cultures of collaboration, innovation, and inspiration, making the transformational leadership style a favored option when leading a team of employees in healthcare.
Transformational leaders are hands-on leaders who engage their teams by creating an inspirational vision and empowering team members to collaborate to achieve it. Every team member is encouraged to be involved in decision-making and give input by contributing ideas, asking questions, and voicing concerns. Leaders should encourage a speak-up culture so that staff feel empowered to take initiative and responsibility for the critical mission of keeping patients safe by delivering a product ready for use in a medical or surgical procedure.
Sterile processing is a complex department with many moving parts; therefore, it cannot be led from behind a desk. Ensuring quality and safety and fostering a culture of accountability requires active engagement in leading and managing your department's daily operations.
The common denominator in any successful team is the team members' engagement with the team leader. The more engaged we are as leaders with our teams, our outcomes will be more successful. When it is all about safe, on-time surgery for the patient, we cannot afford to have it any other way.
