Premium Partners
Current Issues
 |
 |
Mandatory Central Service Certification in the US
Click on the colored states or legend color below (pink, orange, and green) to view chapter(s) involved and get to view documents they have submitted to the DOH or legislation (please note - some files are large and will depend on the speed of your internet connection to open).
Get your state out of the blues and into the pink!
Click here to download the Mandatory Certification – Strategies for Success brochure.
IAHCSMM Addresses Lawmakers on Endoscope Mishaps
Make your voice heard for mandatory certification in your state: |
Arizona
Grand Canyon Chapter
In June 2007, the Grand Canyon Chapter of IAHCSMM, along with members of the local ASCHP, met for an informational meeting on mandatory certification for the state of Arizona. There were 30 CS/CSPD professionals present. We discussed the possibilities and all agreed to proceed with our journey toward mandated certification.
We elected co-chairs for our organization, now called The Arizona State Association of Central Service Professional. At that time, we were still two separate organizations. Nyla Japp and Georgette Clark were elected co-chairs. Our plans were to meet bi-monthly.
In October, 2007, we met for our third meeting at John C. Lincoln Hospital. Alicia Coleman had contacted Helena Whitney of the Arizona Health & Human Services department. Helena sent all the paperwork that needed to be completed by September 2008. This is called the Sunrise Process and takes a great amount of time and consideration to complete. We decided at this meeting to start working on a presentation for our local representative, Kyrsten Senama. Kyrsten agreed to be our lobbyist when the time comes to start the legislative process.
We contacted the Indiana chapter for information on how to proceed with the legislation process. Their chapter was most helpful and sent an enormous amount of literature on how they began the process. We have used much of the same ideas, which has eliminated some steps for us.
The process is ongoing; we have completed our presentation and are waiting for the opportunity to share it with Kyrsten. We were scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, but it had to be rescheduled for January, 2009.
We continue to garner support from IAHCSMM, AORN, hospital administrators, the American Hospital Association, Arizona Nurses Assoc., APIC, and patient safety councils. The process is slow, but well worth the effort.
Michigan
Michigan Society of Healthcare Central Service Professionals
In October, the MSHCSP formed a committee to develop a proposal that will request mandatory certification of Central Service professionals who work in the state of Michigan. The committee has already had one meeting and the next one is schedule for January 2009. For updated information on the committee’s activities, visit the official website of MSHCSP (www.mshcsp.org). We will continue to update the website as progress is made on this proposal.
New Jersey
NJ Regulations for Mandatory Certification
New York
New York State Association of Central Service Professionals
Six years ago, a task force of ten members of the Central Service Professionals Chapters throughout the State of New York initiated plans to begin lobbying in Albany to require mandatory certification of Central Service professionals. The purpose of the Task Force was to awaken the government’s awareness about the roles, responsibilities and skills required to perform our technical responsibilities. The task force took the name of NYSACSP, with its role being to voice concerns/needs as a group in order to update the Department of Health (DOH) regulations for the Central Service Profession.
Requiring certification to perform our jobs will raise the status of our profession and therefore, the competencies required for employment. Currently, there are no formal requirements to perform the CS technician duties nonetheless, a technician is expected to perform and have as much technical knowledge as the OR Surgical Technicians and perhaps the OR Nurse. More expectations have been added to our duties without modifying our job descriptions or status in the healthcare field. Moreover, we perform one of the most important tasks in a medical center as we decontaminate all equipment and surgical instruments; assemble, pack, and sterilize surgical instrument sets and deliver throughout the nursing patient care areas all kinds of disposable goods.
The CS Legislative Bill A03220/S3737 requires that all central services staff obtain formal education and acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for Certification. Certified technicians would then be eligible to obtain the NY State License through the Department of Education and earn the benefits of being licensed by the State. If the State makes Licensing mandatory our status would change from non-professional to professional. Medical centers will be mandated to hire certified/licensed staff and as a result licensed technicians will become more marketable. Acquiring a marketable status will awaken the desire of Medical Centers to hire the most competitive licensed individuals in order to meet the market standards and remain competitive.
As with any gubernatorial legislative bill there is a process to follow. First the Assembly house will vote on the bill, then it the bill goes to the Wage and Means committee, followed by approval and then sent to the Senate where it will go through a similar process. Lastly, the bill will go to the Governor for signature. This can be a lengthy process. We will have to lobby in Albany and promote the advantages of having licensed staff. Central Service Professionals should use this time to prepare themselves and obtain their certification.
Central Services personnel who are not currently certified should enroll in an approved certification program in order to be eligible for the benefits upon approval of this proposal. Certified Central Service technicians should begin to encourage co-workers to become certified in order to increase the number of certified personnel in the State. You can also help promote this proposal by actively participating in your local chapter and helping your local representative in this task force. Attend your next local chapter meeting for more details on how you can help. For more information, visit the NYSACSP website at www.nycentralservice.org.
Ohio
Heart of Ohio Chapter
We officially began the certification process in May/June 2007, with an ad hoc team of central service and industry representatives based in the state. The committee co-chairs are David Narance and Marie Long. The committee outlined a plan to address state-mandated certification based upon New Jersey’s template, and the actions of the New York State group. Per the plan, the committee “built” an army of supporters, and through our contacts, we found a person who attends the same church as the Honorable Shannon Jones, the State Assembly who sits on the State Health and Human Services committee.
We set up a meeting with the Hon. Jones and her staff, gave a 30-minute presentation on why state-mandated certification and how CS directly impacts patient safety, and then outlined our proposed plan (bill). The Hon. Jones was given a three-ring binder with our introduction letter, a copy of an outlined plan, and copies of recent articles from newspapers, the internet, and journals on similar initiatives, as well as from news stories that underscored how cleaning or sterilization errors affected patient safety.
We were asked for additional information on several occasions, and then we were informed that the committee would draft a bill—again, based on models from New Jersey and New York—addressing our concerns. The state department of health will have oversight and enforcement power, and the proposed state-mandated certification bill will allow a two-year grace period for current CS professionals to become certified once the bill becomes law. All new CS professionals will have 1.5 years to become certified after passage of the bill. Since the initial meeting, we have corresponded several times via phone and e-mail regarding specific terminology. It is hoped that we will have something in hand to present at the beginning of 2009.
As a parallel track on certification, Marie and I have proposed a first-ever statewide central service meeting, and the formation of a statewide organization of CS professionals, based upon the New York State organization, in March 2009. The purpose is to push toward statewide certification, and to gain wide support for the proposed measure. The second reason is to provide a framework for education and a local (regional) meeting for CS technicians.
Igniting the fire: A message from HOH chapter president David Narance, RN, BSN, CRCST: “Every patient deserves a nurse.” This was the message several years ago that the AORN (Association of Operating Nurses) wanted to communicate to the public. As a member of AORN, and as a former operating room nurse, I can testify to the importance and value of having a registered nurse with each patient in the operating room. It was about patient safety. It was about so many more issues related to outcomes. Now it is our turn as Central Service and Sterile Reprocessing technicians to take up a similar cause. As the tag line for IAHCSMM illustrates, YOU are “Instrumental to Patient Care.” Every patient who enters your healthcare facility deserves the best, and that means having a fully trained and knowledgeable staff. It is all about patient outcomes. You are the first line of defense toward preventing surgical site infections. With this responsibility comes the need for knowledge, and this knowledge can only after come from a structured training and testing program. RN after a name implies that the person has been training in an accredited program, passed a state required test, and has maintained skills through continuing education. In the State of Ohio, this is required every two years. I would propose that we should travel down a similar path for CS. This would address patient safety, and raise the bar for expectations and outcomes.
I can attest to the benefit of certification within my own sterile reprocessing team at MedCentral Health System. Starting in the fall of 1999, we had a vision of service excellence. The road toward this goal started with the most important element…the staff. No team that takes the athletic field can even hope of success without knowledge about their sport. The same is true in our profession. We mandated training through Purdue University on Central Service for all staff members. Even my Director and Assistant Director at that time were required to attend these classes. The pay-off was that we were able to facilitate processes that ensured patient safety, streamlined processes, reduced errors, and brought expenses under control.
Central Service training built our team into one of the most successful teams in the nation. Tray errors were cut into half. Process improvements reduced flash sterilization. I could list many other process changes that produced positive results. A sense of pride was back in the department—and it showed. Our efforts were recognized by Healthcare Purchasing News in 2003, as the MedCentral Sterile Reprocessing team was honored as the Central Service team of the year. This all would not have been possible without investing into the success of the individual. Can your team do the same? I would state “absolutely!”
I would urge you to consider what is at stake. There is no greater calling than to serve others. This is what we are all about—the first line of defense and taking care of the patient! Every patient deserves to have a certified Central Service tech reprocessing their instruments.