We would like to recognize and thank our sterilization staff for their hard work and for going above and beyond to keep our college community safe, especially during the pandemic. During the past year and a half, they took on different responsibilities with courage. They have had important roles in helping the college continue to offer the best possible educational experiences and extraordinary patient care.
When the college transitioned to remote learning in early 2020, the sterilization staff was vital to ensuring students had a successful remote learning experience.
"There were many things that needed ordered for the D1, D2 and D3 students, including heads, special table top mounts, specialized electric motors, handpieces, cassettes, etc. All the individual pieces had to be recorded and checked out by hand," said Rhonda Simpson, sterile services supervisor.
"Course directors requested items and the sterilization staff figured out how to package them for home use and scheduled curbside pickup and drop off of assigned projects," Rhonda said. "This involved lots of communication with all course directors for items needed, amounts to include and a time frame for completion."
The sterilization staff also showed their dedication and creativity by successfully completing the D4 check in for the class of 2020 (accounting for all the D4's equipment and instruments) while adhering to social distancing guidelines. They also assisted with ensuring proper social distancing in the clinical and virtual simulation lab.
Throughout the pandemic, some changes that were made in the sterilization area included the addition of Plexiglas barriers, yellows gowns for receiving room wear, and more thorough disinfection of patient safety glasses. They continue to follow the highest standards of infection control while processing and handling all items.
The college is incredibly lucky to have an amazing, dedicated team of sterilization professionals. Thank you for all you to do keep our students, faculty, staff and patients safe!
