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 are rooted in the Core Values that lived in that workplace culture. One of our Pure Processing Core Values that defines our culture is Passion for Processing.

Passion for Processing is all about being a lifelong learner, being dedicated to our customers one at a time and, fundamentally, about being engaged with our work and its impact on patient safety.

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’s dangerous, and sometimes it’s ignored or just all together 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 their lives as they were meant to be lived. 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.

Find something about your job you can’t do well and commit to mastering it. Small or big, embracing change helps us see our professions as bigger than our day-to-day responsibilities. Being a lifelong learner opens you up to a new world around you!

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 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 job is bigger than what your title says.

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!