Certification Council

IAHCSMM is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. The IAHCSMM 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 re-certification 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, re-certification 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.

Certification Council Members

Certificant Representatives

Timothy Blackwell, Vice Chair, CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL – CS Supervisor at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Deborah Bunn, Chair, CRCST, CIS, CHL, ACE – CS Manager at Baltimore Washington Medical Center
Francisco Garcia, CRCST, CIS, CHL – Director of Sterile Processing for Baycare Health System
Steven Hall, CRCST, CHL – SP Manager at Swedish Medical Center

Industry Stakeholders

Debbie Guerrero, LVN, CRCST – Independent Contractor Healthcare Consultant
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

Patricia Taylor, Board of Directors Liaison, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CFER – CS Clinical Supervisor at Major Hospital
Susan Adams, Staff Liaison – Executive Director at IAHCSMM

How Can I Become Involved?

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.

To inquire about becoming involved as an SME or Committee Member, please contact the Certification Council using the form below.