How would you describe Sterile Storage to someone fresh off the street? What are those core fundamentals that every Sterile Processing technician, vendor, and visitor needs to know (or remember) about this crucial stage of the device reprocessing workflow? On this episode 1 kickoff of Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we sit down with Randalyn Walters, Sterile Processing advocate and Corporate Educator with SpecialtyCare, to lay the groundwork for this season's educational theme. Tune in to hear Randalyn's insights as an experienced educator on one of the most important rooms in our Sterile Processing department. Grab your new technicians, favorite vendor reps, and old timers who need a refresher for this season premiere episode! 

Perhaps the Number ONE driving force for sterile storage upgrades in Sterile Processing departments is the issue of regulatory compliance. But just checking boxes so you don't get cited by the Joint Commission or DNV should NOT be the ultimate end goal (as important as those things are). On episode 4 of our already record breaking (!) Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we speak with Candice Kauffman, Sterile Processing Manager at UC Health and member of our new Beyond Clean Advisory Group about building sterile storage areas into real centers of excellence. Tune in to hear why this area is such an epicenter of regulatory focus, and learn about all the little things that make a big impact on hardwiring real compliance into every shelf, rack, and package. Whether you are a technician frustrated with storage issues in your hospital, or a leader preparing for an upcoming accreditation survey, you'll walk away from this interview inspired to go above and beyond the storage status quo! We hope you can join us!

What has four wheels, no brakes, and saves lives? That's right, surgical case carts! These stainless steel superheroes are the unsung workhorses of the Sterile Processing department, and even though they only hold supplies for a short amount of time, they are a critical aspect of high functioning sterile storage workflows. On this episode 7 of Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we speak with William (Bill) Filipponi, Director Sterile Processing at North Kansas City Hospital and member of the Beyond Clean Advisory Group (BCAG) about the unique way surgical case carts move sterile goods from our departments -- to the patient -- and back again. Case cart programs impact everything from on-time case starts to turnovers, and point-of-use compliance to off-site transportation. Tune in for this insider's discussion on building a case cart workflow worth bragging about!  This is a great episode to pull your materials management & OR teams in for a collaborative discussion around making the best out of these rolling storage superstars!

There's no such thing as a static Sterile Storage area. Instruments are constantly moving in and moving out of the space. But that's not the only kind of transition that happens with this critical inventory step. As we continue with Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we asked Juanita Burrell, Manager of Sterile Processing for Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago to join us for Episode 2 to discuss her story of transitioning from a cramped, challenged storage space to something of Sterile Processing dreams. Tune in to hear how she took her staff complaints and got the ear of her C-Suite to secure the support and investment necessary to take her storage to the next level. If you're tired of hitting that proverbial brick wall for budget approvals and can't take another day of working out of a storage "closet," this is an episode worth forwarding to your favorite Director, VP, or CFO...!

You won't last very long in the Sterile Processing industry if you're not a "clean freak," but do you have to be a "neat freak" too? How important is it to stay organized when creating (and keeping) an excellent sterile storage area in your department? What are the keys to ensuring anyone on your team can find a medical device once you place it on a shelf? On episode 5 of Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we speak with Alessandra Nicholson, Sterile Processing leader and educator about creating structure and organization in the critical stage of medical device storage. Whether you are naturally neat or majorly messy, we've got some terrific insights in this interview to help you draw the line when it comes to storage best practice that actually works for you (and your patients). When the Operating Room needs it "now," you owe it to your team to make it as easy as possible to find it! We hope you can join us!

It wouldn't really be Sterile Storage Wars if we didn't discuss the inter-department battles for space that so often happen in our hospitals. Who really owns the Sterile Core in your OR? Who gets to decide how your L&D instrument storage is organized? On this final episode of Season 14, we sit down with Monique Albornoz, Principal at Clinical 5S Space Innovations to discuss the best way forward when storage space is a shared space in your facility. Who stocks it? Who pulls supplies from it? In whose department does the physical location reside? In short, who owns it? Tune in for real stories of how these decisions can be made without setting off cultural landmines or alienating the customer base you are seeking to serve through your Sterile Processing services. We know you'll enjoy this practical wrap up to a record-breaking Season 14 of Beyond Clean!

Who checks your case carts before the OR opens them for first cases? Who responds to the room when a surgeon needs to speak with someone "ASAP!" Who ensures critical inventory is easily located and accessible throughout the surgical day? On episode 3 of Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we speak with Bobby Parker, BA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, Clinical Manager at Beyond Clean about the awesome impact SPD/OR Liaisons can have on a facility's sterile storage workflow. Tune in to hear how this role can change culture, improve processes, and even take your department to the pinnacle of industry recognition & success. If you have challenges finding trays, communicating priorities to & from the Operating Room, and building high levels of trust with your Sterile Processing customers, grab a notebook and listen up for this one! You'll be glad you did!

The hallways are quite(r). The phone calls are few(er). But the time is also short(er) to get everything in and out of sterile storage for those critical first cases which will be starting in just a few hours. Will your SPD & OR team be prepared? What are the unique challenges faced by our teams when the sun goes down and 3rd shift is clocking in? On this episode 6 of Season 14 "Sterile Storage Wars," we speak with Dannie O Smith, Sterile Processing professional, night-shifter, educator, and illustrator about the complex workflow that occurs when the rest of us are sleeping. Most of our facilities have something going on during these midnight hours, but you may not have a good idea of exactly what that is or what it has to do with your sterile storage area. Tune in to this fast moving interview with Dannie Smith to find out the secret life of surgical trays...after dark! We hope you can join us!