Qualifications for Sterilizing department staff

[Jenny Bourne]

I would appreciate information on the qualifications required for a sterilizing technician in a small sterilizing unit.
This staff member needs to be able to process surgical instruments and flexible endoscopes.

Thanks for your help.

Jenny Bourne
Education & Environment Coordinator
169 Seventeen Mile Rocks Road Oxley QLD 4075
Phone 0449 199 223
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[Morris, Sylvia (Health)]

Hi Jenny,

This question sounds easy but the answer isn’t. The requirement varies between states and also differs between public health and private facilities and also if the facility is an endoscopic, general practice or hospital.

You probably need an answer from QLD health as to rules in QLD but I am happy to show how I have interpreted the standards. Until recently I was the course coordinator at CALHN RTO in SA for both Certificate 111 and 1V in Sterilisation. When I came to QLD several years ago to one of your conferences it was fairly common in the QLD government Health system for the qualifications to be promoted and staff supported to complete it whereas this was less of a requirement in private facilities.

I am now at SA Heath and it gets even more complicated as we have a day surgery licensing process and a number of small facilities don’t always have staff with formal qualifications.

There is also the issue that depending on the RTO the 2 sterilisation qualifications offered don’t always have the Disinfect Reusable Medical Devices unit that covers endoscopes. You would need to check with TAFE in QLD or any private RTO’s.
I would expect staff reprocessing endoscopes should complete Genca training and assessment.

If you look at AS/NZS4187:2014 it states:

The person directly responsible for reprocessing of RMDs should have relevant qualification and experience in sterilisation technology. The relevant word is “direct”. I have had many theatre managers want to do my qualification in the past and there is not a problem with that as long as they are willing and able to undertake hands on assessment for all sterilisation tasks, but if a theatre manager is busy in theatre and not available and not experienced in all CSSD tasks the sterilisation technician should be supported or expected to have it.

Again just having the qualification does not necessarily prove that someone is always going to be up to date so any one with significant responsibility should be expected to attend conferences and keep up to date with practice changes. What the qualification does is ensure that those people have who have completed the qualification have been exposed to correct practice and been assessed fairly rigorously on their knowledge.

Best wishes

Sylvia

Sylvia Morris
Sterilising and Reusable Medical Device Reprocessing State Coordinator
Infection Control Service
Communicable Disease Control Branch
Public Health and Clinical Systems
SA Health
Government of South Australia

HCW infection prevention: http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/infectionprevention
General public: http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/hospitalinfections

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I would appreciate information on the qualifications required for a sterilizing technician in a small sterilizing unit.
This staff member needs to be able to process surgical instruments and flexible endoscopes.

Thanks for your help.

Jenny Bourne
Education & Environment Coordinator
169 Seventeen Mile Rocks Road Oxley QLD 4075
Phone 0449 199 223
*********************************************************************************
CONFIDENTIALITY and PRIVACY NOTICE
This email message and enclosures are confidential, may contain legally privileged information and are intended solely for the named addressee(s). If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender by return email and delete all copies of this message from your computer network. Any unauthorised review, use, disclosure, copying, distribution or publication of this message and enclosures is prohibited.
Canossa Services and their employees do not represent that this transmission is free from viruses or other defects and you should see it as your responsibility to check for viruses and defects. Canossa Services disclaims any liability to any person for loss and damage resulting (directly or indirectly) from the receipt of electronic mail(including enclosures).
*********************************************************************************.

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