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THETA Chapter Report
MDRD Technician Education Opportunities CSAO MDRT Recertification Course Register between June 1, 2012 – Feb 1, 2013 $300 + $39HST = $339.00 You must write your exam within 3 months of receiving the course material. You must be a current CSAO member, hold a CSAO or Canadian college certificate and work in an MDRD to take the recertification course. CSAO Theta Chapter MDRT Classroom Course Registration deadline: March 9, 2013 Classroom Course by OTN: May 8, 9, 10, 11, 2013
Message from the President Welcome to the new 2012/2013 CSAO year. This is my first newsletter as the Theta Chapter President. I would like to take a moment to thank our Past President, Colleen Landers for her many years of dedication and commitment to see the Theta chapter not only grow, but thrive on successful educational initiatives, increasing membership and her drive to interest new people to serve on the Theta chapter executive. Colleen is not only our past president, but also our new Education Coordinator. I would also like to welcome back to the executive, Nancy Aelick, as the new Theta Chapter Vice President and Tammy Bennardo as our new treasurer. I especially want to welcome Jeffery Phelps as the Theta Chapter secretary. He is new to our executive this year and is already doing great work for our chapter. I also want to thank Nicole Robinson for the years spent as a hard working member of our executive team. She was largely responsible for pulling together the May education days that we enjoyed in Sturgeon Falls and North Bay. It is so very important that we continue to participate in and support the CSAO Theta chapter as well as communicate with each other. The Medical Device Reprocessing industry is beginning to undergo intense scrutiny due to the critical part we play in infection control within a hospital, clinic or any other type of facility where reprocessing is performed. The PIDAC Best Practices document requires that all staff and management of an MDRD be certified in reprocessing and strongly recommend that recertification be done every 5 years. This can be done through the CSAO or through college courses. So, get the word out, circulate this newsletter and get others interested in participating, becoming certified and advancing our profession. Michelle Bellefeuille, RN, CMDRT Technician Talk Fact or fiction? An MDRD manager was working in her office when there was a knock at the door. A gentleman was standing there and asked if this was the sterilization department. The manager said it was and asked how she could help. The gentleman said that the front desk person directed him to that department as he was at the hospital to have a vasectomy....... Quality Assurance Corner Why are Bowie and Dick tests so important? These tests were created by Dr. Bowie and Mr. Dick. Their test was published in 1963 and has since been refined from in-house assembled test packs to the now available commercial packs. These tests are used to evaluate how well your vacuum sterilizers are removing air from the sterilizer chamber. Sterilization cannot occur if air remains in the chamber. Air is considered to be a non-condensable gas, while steam is condensable. Normally, as pressure inside the chamber rises, steam contacts the cooler surfaces of instruments and condenses into water and there is a release of heat energy. This heat energy from the steam causes the instrument to heat up quickly while the condensation (water) drains away. If air remains in the chamber, it gravitates to the cooler metal instruments, causing a buffered area that the steam cannot penetrate. Since there is a buffered area, the steam cannot condense on the cool surface and release its' heat energy, therefore sterilization conditions cannot occur on that surface. This means that the sterilization temperature of 270 F is not being achieved consistently throughout the package, though the mechanical indicators show that a temperature of 270 F was achieved at the sterilizer temperature sensors. Chemical indicators/integrators may also miss this inconsistency if not positioned in the area of the package where air was present. So, basically, you have to know that your sterilizer chamber is totally free of air, hence the daily quality assurance testing called the Bowie & Dick. Commercially prepared test packs are preferred for use due to consistency of preparation. Too many variables can occur with assembling in-house prepared test packs. Question Period Is instrument tape okay to use? The O.R. is questioning the sterility of tape. Instrument tape that is validated by the vendor for the type of sterilization you are using is acceptable. The tape must be applied according to the vendor instructions, cannot be applied over rough surfaces, cannot have loose edges/gaps. The tape must be changed at regular intervals (at least every 6 months) or sooner if it appears loose, cracked, soiled or worn in any way. Use it sparingly or it becomes a time consuming, high maintenance issue. ____________________________________________________________ We can help you find those obscure products, but we cannot endorse any particular product or company. If we cannot find it, we will ask the rest of the chapter for help. Send your questions to BellefeuilleM@sah.on.ca or BennardoT@sah.on.ca
Reprocessing Industry News These are some interesting articles you will find on the CSAO website:
There is also a good magazine available that contains many articles that pertain to an MDRD. It is called Healthcare Purchasing News. It is a U.S. supply chain magazine, but covers infection prevention, MDRD, Operating room, products & services as well as editorial type articles. Check it out online at http://www.hpnonline.com/.
Upcoming Education and Events CSAO membership renewal is now due for the 2012/2013 year starting June 1, 2012. Please get your membership renewed or become a member today. There is good value in having this membership: reduced conference fee, be eligible for the recertification course, emailed a copy of the Theta chapter newsletter, be eligible for draws to attend the conference, etc... CSAO Provincial Conference: Patient Safety Begins with You Sept 10 & 11, 2012 Double Tree by Hilton, Toronto Registration forms and more information available on the CSAO website http://www.csao.net/. Registration fees before Sept 1, 2012: Member (2011/2012 year) $403.57 Non-member $484.28 Registration after Sept 1, 2012: $538.09 OTN Education and Theta Chapter meetings: Sign in at 1315 hrs: September 5 2012 1330-1500hrs – Importance of Water Quality and Problems Poor Water May Cause (Presented by Michelle Bellefeuille, RN) November 7, 2012 1330-1500hrs – Flexible Scope Reprocessing (Presented by Olympus) February 6, 2013 1330-1500 hrs – Review of the Basics of Sterilization (Presented by Steris) April 10, 2013 1330-1500hrs - Instrument Management Systems (Presented by Getinge) **Important – Please email Colleen Landers with your OTN site number and system number and book your room for the four education sessions by August to be registered for the limited number of sites available.
Upcoming Education and Events CSAO Theta Chapter Education Day April 26 & 27, 2013 North Bay, Ontario Stay tuned for further information in the next newsletter. Central Service Week October 8-14, 2012 Plan something fun for your department. Plan an open house! Let others see what you do and let us know so we can share with the rest of the chapter!!! **LINK TO THE CSAO WEBSITE Follow the link below to get information and applications for the CSAO classroom course and the CSAO recertification course. Once at this website, look for ‘Education'. Everything you need to know is there.
Contact us: THETA CHAPTER EXECUTIVE President: Michelle Bellefeuille, Sault Area Hospital, (705)759-3434 ext 5286 Secretary: Jeffrey Phelps, North Bay Regional Hospital 174 Kingsway Ave North Bay P1B 9S3 (705) 495-6289 E-mail: rwickett@cogeco.ca or phelpj@nbrhc.on.ca Treasurer: Tammy Bennardo, Sault Area Hospital, Past President/Education: Colleen Landers Weeneebayko Area Health Authority 388 Ross Ave. East Timmins Ontario P4N5X3 (705)267-3048 E-mail: landers@ntl.sympatico.ca |
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