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O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Laura Raio, CFER, the materials and technical services manager at The Endo Center at
Voorhees (N.J.), recently attended a workshop run by a major scope manufacturer
and was appalled by the questions attendees asked about seemingly basic repro-
cessing steps. "In an organization, a manager might be very knowledgeable about
endoscope reprocessing, but what about the staff in the cleaning room who are actu-
ally doing the work?" she asks.
Her advice? Be a stickler about ensuring your reprocessing staff are properly
trained and constantly monitored. All techs at The Endo Center are state-certified in
flexible endoscopic reprocessing. There's a nationwide movement to make certifica-
tion mandatory, but it's been a requirement to work for Ms. Raio for 7 years running.
She says training in endoscope reprocessing should drill home the importance of
the job and prepare staff to follow required steps during the reprocessing of each
scope. Every new hire at The Endo Center undergoes one-on-one training for a mini-
mum of 2 weeks. "I tell them that this tiny reprocessing room will close the building
if we don't do things correctly," says Ms. Raio.
She believes reprocessing mistakes occur at facilities where staff members work
alone, which lets them think — perhaps correctly — that no one would know if they
skipped a step here and there. To avoid that issue, Ms. Raio staffs her reprocessing
room with 1 cleaning person and 2 techs at all times. "They tell on each other con-
sistently, and approach each other if something isn't done correctly, which is good,"
says Ms. Raio. "When you're in that room, you're expected not to make a mistake."
REPROCESSING WAR ROOM
'This Tiny Reprocessing Room Will
Close the Building If We Don't Do Things Correctly'
"Cleaning scopes isn't hard — I could show you
how to do it with my eyes closed. The challenge is
getting staff to follow every single step, every time."
— Laura Raio, CFER
