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The Sterile Processing industry is expected to grow 10.6% in the next
six years. High school graduates enroll in SP community college or privately operated programs and internal candidates from various hospital departments apply to Sterile Processing positions regularly. This interest in SP often results in a multitude of candidates
applying for just a few open positions. Needless to say, the Sterile Processing (SP) industry may no longer be Healthcare’s best kept secret in the future. This is quite a different current state of the industry than it has been in the past. Many SP professionals
have an interesting story to tell about how they became a technician or how “SP found them”. In the future, the story may be that they chose to pursue this experience on purpose.
Succession Planning
With the future in mind, it is important that Sterile Processing has
the information and plan necessary to ensure that the future will be bright. This is done by appropriately preparing the new and the current leaders when their time comes via succession planning. Less formally, succession planning provides the foundation for
the department and/or industry during leadership transition so is able to meet its benchmarks and daily responsibilities during that time. More times than not, the success of a succession plan is based solely upon identifying the candidate within the organization
that one can be trained how to do the job. However, there is more to succession planning than simply identifying a viable candidate and providing them with a how-to guide. Succession planning speaks more to the process of first identifying the skills and knowledge
associated with various roles of importance and then teaching them consistently over time.
There are always the one or two people in the organization who just seem
to always know what to do and how to do it. The team knows they can turn to them as a source of endless knowledge and reference at any given time. This is all good and well at the moment, however it can pose a significant issue when those individuals become
unavailable. One thing can be guaranteed, this moment will happen. How a company and leadership prepares for such a moment is determined by the thoroughness of the succession plan.
At the Start
This is vital to the SP department because the patients are still relying
on the technicians to perform at a high standard. Leadership change can result in a multitude of process disruption if not planned for accordingly. While there is no one right way to succession plan, a few points are clear. One, a well thought-out transition
plan will be vital to a candidate's success. Two, an understanding of how the department and/or company’s goals play into the organization's and/or industry’s future is essential. Three, succession planning should be incorporated into the formal department
processes, standards, and best practices from the start. These three points will give departments and organizations the ability to create professional growth transparency and cultivate new leadership.
To the Future
In order for the Sterile Processing industry to truly benefit from the
years of experience already within it and yet to come, the information and responsibility must be formally passed forward within all SP organizations. Succession planning must be viewed as an ongoing process available to everyone within the department or organization.
This will challenge the stigma that succession planning is a one-time event reserved for when a person is ready to transition and transform it into an ongoing evaluation process. It is imperative that the current leadership is also supported and guided through-out
this process, as it can be intimidating to consider a different individual assuming a role that they have performed well over a number of years.
In the next few articles I write, exactly what makes a succession plan
successful will be evaluated and discussed in detail along with some actionable steps that can be taken along the way. Remember, an effective succession plan is less about pre-selection of the ideal candidate and more about the preparation for them.
Sarah B. Cruz
AS, CSPDT, CRCST, CIS, CHL
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