Passion for Processing: An Exercise in Loving our Professions

Looking back on past companies and organizations, it’s the culture you worked in that you probably remember most. Whether people said good morning to each other, how your manager gave you feedback, or maybe it was the unique traditions you shared with an office friend. All these examples stem from the Core Values embedded in the workplace culture. One of our Pure Processing Core Values that defines our culture is Passion for Processing.

Passion for Processing embodies lifelong learning, dedicating ourselves to serving each customer individually, and actively engaging with our work to ensure its positive impact on patient safety.

A sterile processing team celebrating sterile processing week, holding a champion belt.

We want to take a moment to say thank you to those who dedicate their lives and ground their professions in this Core Value. Sterile processing is a hard job. It is dangerous and sometimes ignored or completely forgotten.

During this very special International Sterile Processing Week of celebration, recognition, and saying thank you, we must also remember to love our mission. Without sterile processing, we could never take care of each other. We help those in our community heal, grow, and live fulfilling lives. Sterile processing is fundamentally rooted in kindness and care.

This sterile processing week, take a moment to remember why we love our profession, and maybe reconnect with your own reason to have Passion for Processing (or if you struggle to find that passion in the first place).

Here are five simple things to try this week to stoke (or light) your Passion for Processing:

1. Find the thing you like the most and focus on that first.

Is it the satisfaction of knowing you finished an instrument tray perfectly? Maybe it’s that one coworker you can always rely on during tough times. Or sometimes it’s bigger than ourselves.

It’s knowing that your commitment to your craft is what ultimately protects patients and helps them heal. It can be powerful to remember these things when work gets tough.

2. Challenge yourself.

Identify an aspect of your job that you struggle with and commit to mastering it. Small or large, embracing change helps us see our professions as bigger than our day-to-day responsibilities. Being a lifelong learner exposes you to new perspectives and opportunities.

3. Expand your network.

Attend a local chapter show. Join an online group where your peers can share and post their thoughts and where you can share your own stories. You may find subsets of the instrument reprocessing world which speak to you, and you can engage with a community who shares in those interests and passions.

4. Recognize your achievements (and mistakes).

Think about what you’ve accomplished since last year’s Sterile Processing Week. Maybe you earned that certification you were studying so hard for or earned some free CE’s on our education page. Or maybe you made a mistake but learned a new skill (or newfound faith in your own abilities).

All those experiences are fundamental to our own personal growth. You are a new person because of your experiences in sterile processing.

 

5. Give yourself a new job title.

On the days when you’re struggling, remember that your title cannot define all you do and are. Isn’t it true that inspecting each individual instrument allows someone to go home healthy to their family? Remind yourself that your role extends beyond the confines of your title.

 

Happy Sterile Processing Week! Without the commitment, dedication, and support of the those within the sterile processing community, our patients and hospitals would cease to function. We are grateful for all you do, and hope you enjoy this week. Thank you!

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