Make sure you give
your SME the
resources she needs,
including time and a
budget. Along with
access to the most
current technical
publications, she
should attend nation-
al and local confer-
ences, seminars and
workshops. Meetings
are invaluable for stay-
ing current, making contacts and networking with peers. Your SME has
to be responsible for ensuring that polices are up to date, and that repro-
cessing staff members know and understand all procedures. Not every-
one has what it takes to be an SME. The job requires someone who's
able to think critically, be open-minded and be informed by evidence.
The ability to communicate effectively is also a must.
Your sterile processing staff should be required to demonstrate com-
petency every year, at least, which can be done in any of 3 ways:
return demonstration, simulation or test-taking.
Certified or not, they want to do the right things. If they're being
non-compliant or taking shortcuts, the issue is likely to be a lack of
knowledge and resources. It's the job of the SME to make sure they're
competent and that they understand how important it is that they fol-
low instructions for use (IFUs) to the letter. You'll make it much easier
for everyone to follow IFUs, which can be extremely long, tedious and
challenging, if you keep them in an electronic binder. I recommend
Infection Prevention
IP
1 4 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7
• COMPLETELY COMPETENT You should require your sterile process-
ing staff to demonstrate competency every year.
