Job Description

Shift Supervisor, Sterile Processing

[Type, HPPP, Shift]

Methodist Overview:

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, part of Covenant Health, is a trusted regional hospital serving East Tennessee with advanced care and a personal touch. With more than 30 specialties, including cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and vascular care, the facility offers innovative treatments for complex conditions like aneurysms, joint damage, heart failure, and chronic wounds. Backed by a team of over 1,000 healthcare professionals and 250 physicians, Methodist Medical Center combines state-of-the-art technology with compassionate care, earning national recognition for patient safety and excellence in stroke and heart care. Our facilities offer patients all the benefits of medical expertise and innovation while still embodying the convenience of a hometown medical center that is close to the support of family and friends.

Under the direction of department leadership, responsible for the proper decontamination, inspection, assembly, and high level disinfection and sterilization of surgical instruments. Operates processing equipment. Requires proficiency in instrument decontamination and assembly and knowledge of the sterilization methods available and which method is appropriate in correlation with the devices that are to be processed. They must be proficient in surgical case picking as well as endoscopy reprocessing. Serves as supervisor for assigned shift.

apply@covhlth.com

Responsibilities

• Serves as the lead technician of the shift for all instrumentation.
• Coordinates daily work assignments and prepares schedule for staff.
• Orients new employees to specific duties of particular shifts. Will mentor and provide guidance and training as needed and will serve as backup in the absence of the department coordinator.
• Ensures that supervised staff are trained and evaluated.
• Decontaminates surgical instruments according to manufacturer’s instructions or advised by the department leader. Will operate all decontamination equipment including washer disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners, cart washer, and automatic endoscope reprocessor (AER).
• Inspects instruments after decontamination, ensuring all items are clean, intact, functional, and accounted for.
• Assembles trays in a manner that ensures devise sterility and is easy for the end user to access for use. Uses count sheets to ensure trays are assembled accurately. Interfaces with the instrument tracking system for all functions of processing.
• Packages or containerizes instrument sets according to manufacturer’s guidelines and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards. Packages in a neat and proper technique ensuring easy aseptic opening in the operating room.
• Loads sterilizer carts in a way to ensure packaged items are not punctured or compromised, loads containers and wrapped goods as recommended
• Assures accurate input of daily sterilizer tests on all steam and low temperature sterilizers.
• Operates sterilizer according to manufacturer’s instruction ensuring load biological monitoring.
• Documents all load contents, interfaces load to tracking system, loads cycle confirming correct parameters, monitors sterilizer to tracking system information, records all pertinent information (biological, mechanical, and chemical). Performs quality control as needed.
• Unloads sterilizers, ensuring items are not compromised, and stores in correct location according to instrument tracking system storage locations.
• Follows endoscope manufacturer’s processing instructions and accepted standards/guidelines.
• Prepares hospital requisitions as needed; monitors and communicates to management all items received from outside vendors.
• Answer phones and relays information with other employees and staff members.
• Inventories and orders par levels of instruments.
• Assists with maintaining departmental records and performs instrument and scope audits.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education:

None specified; however, must be sufficient to meet the standards for achievement of the below indicated license and/or certification as required by the issuing authority.

Minimum Experience:

None

Licensure Requirement:

IAHCSMM (International Association for Healthcare Material Management) as a Certified Registered Sterile Processing Technician (CRCST) or CBSPD (Certification Board for Sterile Processing Technicians) as a Certified Sterile Processing Distribution Technician (CSPDT) certification is required.