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IAHCSMM's Certification Council
IAHCSMM is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. The Board has established the Certification Council, and granted authority to the Certification Council, to independently make essential decisions related to standards, policies, and procedures of the certification program. These decisions are made independently of, and under no influence by, any other individual or business entity within or outside of IAHCSMM.
Duties & Responsibilities
The Certification Council is responsible for the development of the requirements for eligibility, examination, and renewal for the certification programs as established in the IAHCSMM Bylaws. The Certification Council has developed the certification program to increase the quality of patient care by recognizing competent sterile processing technicians, instrument specialists, and healthcare leaders.
The Certification Council is solely responsible for essential decisions related to the development, administration, and ongoing maintenance of the certification programs, specifically:
- Establishing the policies and procedures for granting certification;
- Establishing the policies and procedures for maintaining certification;
- Establishing policies and procedures for suspending or withdrawing certification (including the oversight of all disciplinary investigations and actions related to certificants);
- Defining, expanding, and/or reducing the scope of the certification programs;
- Overseeing the development, maintenance, administration, and scoring of the examinations to ensure that all tests are reasonably valid and reliable;
- Establishing and enforcing a Code of Conduct for individuals holding credentials;
- Proposing a budget for the operation of the certification program;
- Providing oversight to all certification committees and establishing and overseeing committees as needed; and
- Establishing and implementing policies and procedures for, and overseeing the ongoing operational processes of, the certification programs.
The Certification Council ensures that all application and eligibility requirements, examination development and administration, renewal requirements, and all certification program policies and procedures are directly related to the scope of the certification programs as stated above. Issues that fall outside of the scope and purpose of the certification programs fall outside of the authority of the Certification Council.
The Certification Council convenes to discuss the above issues throughout the year via conference calls and emails. As possible, the Council also meets at the IAHCSMM Annual Conference.
Statement of Impartiality
The IAHCSMM Certification Council shall commit to acting impartially in relation to its applicants, candidates, and certified persons. Certification decisions shall be made in accordance with policies and procedures. Policies and procedures affecting applicants, candidates, and certified persons shall be made public and shall fairly and accurately convey information about the certification program. The IAHCSMM Certification Council shall understand threats to impartiality that include, but are not limited to, self-interest, activities from related bodies, relationships of personnel, financial interests, favoritism, conflict of interest, familiarity, and intimidation. The IAHCSMM Certification Council shall periodically conduct a threat analysis to determine the potential - both real and perceived - of an individual or an organization to influence certification.
Council Members
Certificant Representatives
- Chair: Timothy Blackwell, CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL – CS Supervisor at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital
- Vice Chair: Jill Holdsworth, CRCST - Infection Prevention Manager at Emory University Hospital Midtown
- Deborah Bunn, CRCST, CIS, CHL, ACE – CS Manager at Baltimore Washington Medical Center
- Jennifer Burrell, CRCST, CHL - Director of Network Sterile Processing at St. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem
- Kari Creese, CRCST, CIS, CHL - SPD Supervisor at Trios Health
- Francisco Garcia, CRCST, CIS, CHL – Director of Sterile Processing for Baycare Health System
- Steven Hall, CRCST, CHL – SP Manager at Swedish Medical Center
- Cynthia Timm, CRCST, CHL - Health System Specialist at Veterans Health Administration
Industry Stakeholders
- Susan Moeslein, RN, MSA, CIC, ACM – Infection Prevention & Control at Mary Immaculate Hospital Bon Secours
Public Member
- Amanda Porter – Outdoor Program Manager at Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Non-Voting Members
- Ann Kobayashi, Board of Directors Liaison, CRCST, CIS, CHL – Manager, Sterile Processing
- Siri Sorensen, Staff Liaison - Director of Certification & Membership at IAHCSMM
How Can I Become Involved?
Those interested in becoming a CRCST can prepare in one of the following ways:
- As a Subject Matter Expert: Subject Matter Experts or (SMEs) participate in exam development activities, such as exam question writing and review, exam form review, and more. All SMEs must hold the CRCST credential in good standing, ideally for a minimum of 3-5 years. Additional certifications, such as the CIS or CHL, are also preferred but not required (unless called for by the specific project.) Previous attendance at IAHCSMM annual meetings, or involvement with IAHCSMM chapters or committees, is also preferred but not required. SMEs serve on a per meeting basis.
- As a Committee Member: As necessary, the Certification Council may create various committees to oversee projects and elections. All committee members must be certificants in good standing. Previous experience as a SME or Council member is preferred, but not required. Committee members are typically appointed for two-year terms and may be reappointed for additional terms (unless otherwise dictated by a specific committee/project.)
- As a Council Member: The Certification Council has 4-8 certified member representatives. All certificant representatives must hold the CRCST credential in good standing. At least 1 certificant representative must also be CIS certified and at least 1 certificant representative must also be CHL certified. Previous experience as a SME is preferred, but not required. A minimum of 3-5 years of central service experience is also preferred, but not required. Certificant representatives will serve 3 year terms.