2024
October 13–19
Sterile Processing Week
Celebrate with Us
Sterile Processing Week (formerly International Central Service Week) recognizes the committed specialists who fill Sterile Processing departments and make a positive difference in patient care. Held annually, this week of celebration starts on the second Sunday in October. It is our hope that Sterile Processing Week brings the appreciation and respect that is so greatly deserved. HSPA applauds your achievements and recognizes your role in patient safety and quality service–not just this week, but all year long!
THANK YOU!
HSPA is grateful for every Sterile Processing professional. Thank you for the heart and soul you put into your work each day. With your tireless dedication, your healthcare customers can count on clean and sterile instruments for use on patients. With your ongoing due diligence and dependable equipment and process monitoring, surgeries can be performed without delay. With your unwavering adherence to industry standards, best practices, and policies and procedures, patient safety is never sacrificed. All of this is because of you.
FUTURE DATES
2025
October 12–18
WAYS TO CELEBRATE
SP WEEK SWAG!
Show your support for your profession, staff, colleagues and friends with gifts to make this year’s celebration the best!
TEMPLATES
Looking for ways to recognize your staff and coworkers and the important work they do? Use HSPA’s free celebration templates created by HSPA, including posters, cards and appreciation certificates.
SUPPLIER SUPPORT
Vendors are some of Sterile Processing professionals’ strongest allies. Find out how some of your favorite suppliers are honoring you and the profession for Sterile Processing Week.
TIPS TO PROMOTE STERILE PROCESSING AWARENESS
SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT TO PATIENT SAFETY
Raise awareness of the critical role of the Sterile Processing department (SPD) in safe patient care. Tell others–in conversation or on social media–how proud you are to be a Sterile Processing (SP) professional. Use pre-written newsletter articles and press releases to share information within your facility and community. Offer departmental tours or an open house and invite hospital employees who are not familiar with the SPD. Sharing your stories of the importance of SP is one of your most powerful tools.
ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY
Create community awareness of SP professionals’ vital role in patient safety and quality care. Visit local high schools to connect with students and promote understanding of and interest in the SP discipline. Encourage your local HSPA chapters to host an outreach program in your community and invite your elected officials to attend.
ADVOCATE FOR SUPPORT
Send a letter to your elected officials to educate them about the SP profession. One of the most effective methods for influencing public policy is direct communication between constituents and elected officials. Several states have issued proclamations that are ready for print and display within your SPD or elsewhere in your facility. If your state has a proclamation, include it in a letter to your local newspaper or media outlet, and pitch a story to help garner public awareness. If your state does not have a proclamation, there’s no better time than now to contact your elected officials and request one. Proclamations from governors are a great way to get support for the SP profession during Sterile Processing Week.
CELEBRATE YOUR TEAM
Give SP professionals heightened visibility with a memento or send a personal note to the members of your team, thanking each one for their contributions toward patient safety and care. Create a poster for your department depicting a recent success story or a bulletin board with staff pictures and employment history. Distribute certificates to employees who helped achieve departmental goals. SP Week is also a great time to focus on professional development. Contact a local vendor to offer an educational workshop. Offer a scholarship for a staff member to become certified. Honor a colleague by donating to the HSPA Foundation in their name..