As an HSPA member, what issues need to be prioritized? How can the Board of Directors help solve these issues? HSPA Board of Directors nominees, Angela Warner, Nicholas Day, and Stacey MacArthur join Adam Okada on the Ask the Educator Podcast! Get to know each nominee and their goals before you cast your vote!

In this episode, we interview three distinguished nominees for the HSPA Board of Directors - Joseph Avila, Tim Hurtado, and Tori Ruiz. Join Kevin Anderson & Adam Okada as they uncover their unique perspectives on the industry and their visions to drive positive change. Listen to this podcast episode before you cast your vote!

Join Kevin Anderson and Adam Okada as they interview Arlene Bush, a nominee for the HSPA Board of Directors presidency. Arlene shares her career background, passions, and commitment to serving HSPA members. Tune in for an insightful conversation with one of this year’s nominees before you vote!

One of the initial topics explored on the Ask the Educator Podcast was the complex issue of arthroscopic shavers and their cleaning and inspection procedures. Fast forward four years later, where do we stand? Have the essential enhancements been implemented, or are we confronted with recurring challenges? Join Kevin and Adam in this episode as they reflect on the past four years and offer guidance to sterile processing professionals and leaders on the urgent steps required.

In this episode of the Ask the Educator Podcast, we are joined by Sean Weir. Sean shares his passion for sterile processing and how he got involved in mission work. He is committed to helping others and has been involved in mission work for many years. He also shares some tips for those who are interested in getting involved in sterile processing mission trips. Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.

We load our ultrasonic machines with laparoscopic and robotic instruments, and hopefully, we have the capability to attach them to our flushing mechanism. But how do you know if that flushing mechanism is working? Once the lid is closed, we really have no idea what goes on inside the machine, and as we've learned, just because it's humming doesn't mean it's...WORKING. Kevin Anderson reviews his August 2023 webinar on lumen flushing in the ultrasonic machine and the importance of verification testing.

Do you know how your sterilizer kills microorganisms? Or more importantly, do you know the mistakes that we make that could prevent them from being killed? Healthmark Industries Clinical Education Specialist, Malinda Elammari, illustrates how this sterilization process works. A follow-up to Healthmark’s most popular webinar in 2023 (Murder Mystery: Death by Sterilization), you won’t want to miss this one!

In sterile processing, we know that mistakes can be costly. But without hard data (and a monetary value) these errors are often abstract and hard to quantify, thus making them fade into the background of our minds. Gregory Agoston, from Specialty Care, may have found a solution! Listen in to learn more about how Gregg and his team got their data and used it in a practical and simple way to improve processes.

Are you reprocessing ultrasound probes in your sterile processing or endoscopy department? If so, are you aware of the percutaneous procedures that may be being performed utilizing these probes? Dr. Daniel Lightfoot (Nanosonics) joins the podcast to talk about reprocessing these ultrasound probes safely utilizing the Spaulding Classification Scale, and how communication is vital between the areas of the hospital that use them and the department responsible for processing them. Find out if your facility is aware of the potential issues with this technology! Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.

It’s been 20 years since New Jersey and later New York were able to have legislation passed for mandatory certification in Sterile Processing. In those 20 years, only 3 other states have been successful at getting this type of legislation on the books. Why are so many others failing, where NJ & NY have succeeded? Is there hope for the future? In this episode, our guest host, Stephen Kovach poses these questions and more to Nancy Chobin, Tony Monaco, and Don Gordon, just some of the influential parties responsible for making mandatory certification possible in NJ & NY.

It’s been 20 years since New Jersey and later New York were able to have legislation passed for mandatory certification in Sterile Processing. In those 20 years, only 3 other states have been successful at getting this type of legislation on the books. Why are so many others failing, where NJ & NY have succeeded? Is there hope for the future? In this episode, our guest host, Stephen Kovach poses these questions and more to Nancy Chobin, Tony Monaco, and Don Gordon, just some of the influential parties responsible for making mandatory certification possible in NJ & NY.

We are celebrating Healthmark's 100th Podcast Episode! Kevin, Adam, Stephen and Malinda discuss the purpose of this podcast, look back at old episodes and plans for future episodes! Shoutout to all our listeners!! We appreciate you and hope to continue sharing our knowledge. Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes. Questions or comments? Emails us at: asktheeducator@hmark.com

Sterile processing managers and educators are often buried under day-to-day department tasks and solving unexpected problems. How can leaders find time for education? Michael Matthews (Agiliti) joins us to discuss resources SPD leaders can access to help them fulfill educational responsibilities! Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.

How ready is your department for the revolutionary changes that are coming with Artificial Intelligence (AI)? In this podcast episode, we’ll talk with the father of the modern borescope, Jahan Azizi, about how automation and AI are going to change the way we do our inspection steps. Can it really be this easy?

International guest, Aimee Space, joins Kevin Anderson on Healthmark's Ask the Educator podcast to discuss her career path in OR & SPD. Listen in as Aimee shares advice for all SPD professionals looking to climb the leadership ladder!

In endoscopy and sterile processing, we often run into the same issues. Training staff to do incredibly complex tasks, while they are under constant pressure to perform quickly. Stress often leads to mistakes, which then leads to hospital-acquired infections. What if there was a better way to perform this training? In the podcast, we welcome guests, Damien Berg, Sarah B. Cruz and Sandra Hilliard to discuss an HSPA sponsored program focused on endoscope reprocessing training, and more importantly, retention. Learn about this unique and exciting program from actual participants. Interested in participating in this program? Listen in to find out how!

Each SPD has problem areas of their own, but have you ever wondered how facilities across the country might look or perform? Our Healthmark Education team has been all over the United States and has that insight into how we are doing as an industry...the results aren't always pretty. In this episode, Cheron, Malinda and Seth discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly and what we as an industry can learn from these findings. Don't miss this chance to gain insight into what other facilities are doing well, and what mistakes you need to avoid! Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.

Do you know what is inside your flexible scopes? Microbial surveillance can tell you exactly what is living inside your scopes, but how can we implement that kind of program? Dr. Mary Ann Drosnock joins the podcast to share how we can create these types of programs at our facilities and help further protect our patients! Thanks for listening! Please subscribe for more episodes.

After a LinkedIn post made by our host, Kevin Anderson, about the importance of testing bipolar forceps for insulation integrity, our guest, Rebecca Peplau, commented about a scenario featuring a specific brand of bipolar forceps and how the SPD technicians were potentially damaging the forceps, just by doing the routine testing! Nothing was written about the issue in the IFU, however. Listen in to learn more about what happened, and how this issue was resolved! Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.

Have you ever had fire start in your SPD or OR? Or have you heard of a patient being burned by electrosurgical equipment? If FDA reports are any indication, most of us have experienced at least one of these events at some point in our careers. So how does this happen in such a controlled and secure environment? In this episode of the Ask the Educator Podcast, Kevin and Adam speak to Jahan Azizi about all things electrosurgical to understand why testing the integrity and continuity of our cords and cables is so vitally important to keep patients safe. Thanks for listening! Please like and subscribe for more episodes.