Sterile Processing Educator

Fairfax Hospital - Physicians - Dept of Surgery | Sterile Processing Educator | Full - Time Days Vary

Inova is consistently ranked a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience. We are also proud to be consistently recognized as a top employer in both the D.C. metro area and the nation.

Featured Benefits:

• Committed to Team Member Health: offering medical, dental and vision coverage, and a robust team member wellness program.
• Retirement: Inova matches the first 5% of eligible contributions - starting on your first day.
• Tuition and Student Loan Assistance: offering up to $5,250 per year in education assistance and up to $10,000 for student loans.
• Mental Health Support: offering all Inova team members, their spouses/partners, and their children 25 mental health coaching or therapy sessions, per person, per year, at no cost.
• Work/Life Balance: offering paid time off, paid parental leave, flexible work schedules, and remote and hybrid career opportunities.

Sterile Processing Educator Responsibilities:

• Develops and delivers training programs on sterile processing techniques, infection prevention, instrument sterilization, and regulatory compliance.
• Conducts initial onboarding and orientation for new hires, ensuring they understand departmental policies, procedures and expectations. Provides hands-on training and mentorship to ensure staff competency in all aspects of sterile processing.
• Assesses the competency of SPD technicians through direct observation, skills assessments, and knowledge tests.
• Identifies skill gaps and develops individualized education plans to address deficiencies. Conducts regular audits of SPD processes and provides feedback for continuous improvement.
• Oversees and enhances the onboarding process for new hires, ensuring a smooth transition into the department.
• Develops structured learning modules to reinforce proper sterilization techniques, equipment handling and workflow efficiency. Supports ongoing professional development through continuing education programs, in-service training, and certification preparation courses (e.g. CRCST, CIS, CHL).
• Ensures that SPD staff adhere to hospital policies, regulatory requirements, and safety protocols.
• Works closely with department leadership to implement quality improvement initiatives.
• Monitors sterilization records, process logs, and staff performance to identify areas for improvement.
• Ensures that educational programming is linked to strategic initiatives. Applies principles of adult learning theory to facilitate learning and determines outcomes of educational activities.
• Monitors the orientation and onboarding process. Identifies and intervenes as appropriate to improve the new graduate's clinical adjustment. Provides consultation to the new graduate and manager regarding the orientee's progress related to role adjustment and clinical competence.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Sterile Processing Educator Requirements:

• Certification - Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) or CHL, CIS Licensure
• Experience - 5 Five years of progressive work experience in SPD and adult education learning and development positions. Leadership or training experience is preferred.
• Education - associate degree (or relevant experience in lieu of degree)