The vast majority of surgical instrumentation in hospitals across the country today will be sterilized via steam sterilization. Trauma trays to help heal patients involved in a car wreck. Pediatric chest retractors to help doctors repair a five-day old heart. Laparoscopic instruments to remove a mother’s inflamed appendix. Steam is the undeniable workhorse of medical device reprocessing, ensuring that each of these instruments is safely and effectively sterilized.
Join us as we take a look inside steam sterilization in this 4-CE credit series.
Explore the Social Media Series (2 CEs)
Earn two CE credits (HSPA and CBSPD) by engaing with our newest 14-part educational social media series where we "Demystify Steam Sterilization".
Meet the Experts
Meet our steam sterilizer experts: Carmen and Jacob.
Carmen Ferreiro
Introducing Carmen, a seasoned professional with over 24 years of experience in biotech manufacturing, operations management, sterile processing leadership, and infection control consulting and sales. Carmen is currently an Infection Control Account Manager for Getinge and has previously served as the Sterile Processing Operations Director for Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY from 2008 to 2016. Carmen is a certified NY state Boces instructor, LEAN White Belt certified, and holds a BA in Biology and an MBA. His extensive background in healthcare operations and management and as an IAHCSMM Chapter representative make him a sought-after sterile prcoessing consultant. Having worked as an SPD manager, Carmen is passionate about bringing education to the frontline of the industry, and bringing the frontline behind the steel door.
Jacob Flores
Introducing Jacob, a former professional football player with the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 2016. After his successful stint in the NFL, Jacob entered the medical device industry before joining Getinge in 2021. In his current role at Getinge, Jacob provides guidance and collaborates with Sterile Processing Department leaders across Texas and Oklahoma on new builds and renovation projects. Jacob has a strong passion for Sterile Processing education and advocacy and travels throughout his region to deliver education. He is dedicated to improving patient safety and quality of care by working with healthcare professionals in a consulting capacity to optimize workflows, educate staff, and demystify steam sterilization.
Sterilizer Deep-Dive with Beyond Clean
Joined by Hank Balch of Beyond Clean, we're breaking down steam sterilization with Jacob and Carmen.
Listen to the Podcast (1 CE)
Join Shane Pinkston and Hank Balch as they disect steam sterilization on Episode 1 of Season 17!
The Power to Process Episode 1
It has one of the biggest footprints in our entire department, uses some of the most utilities, and stands as the final step in a surgical instrument's journey to a sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10−6: the powerhouse of Sterile Processing, the steam autoclave. So, how much do you know about what goes on behind the steel door of your department's steam sterilizer? On this Season 17 premiere of "The Power to Process", focused on the equipment that keeps our departments processing, we sit down with Shane Pinkston, Commercial Operations Manager Surgical Workflows at Getinge, to dive into this workhorse of reprocessing, and highlight important considerations about the technology that every frontline SPD professional should know. Tune in for Shane's thoughts on everything from successful sterilizer installations to effective user education and more! Take the CE quiz here.