Covenant Health

Manager of Sterile Processing

Full Time, 80 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is an award-winning, certified, and accredited facility with 541 beds. As a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, Fort Sanders offers state-of-the art care that maximizes recovery from stroke.  We are also the region’s leader in technology in areas such as bariatric surgery, robotic surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. Our door-to-balloon times for heart attack patients are below the national average, and our hip fracture center offers advanced diagnosis, surgery and recovery procedures for hip patients.

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is a member of Covenant Health, a locally-owned, non-profit health system based in Knoxville, TN, with a “patient-focused” culture. It has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as its 2020 “Best-in-State-Employer” for Tennessee. The CEO of our company, Jim VanderSteeg, attends every new employee orientation and will ask you to sign our pledge of excellence to always put patients first, strive for excellence in everything we do, and make Covenant Health the first and best choice for patients in our region. As you’d expect, we offer our employees a robust benefits package, including: offering unmatched medical insurance, tuition reimbursement; student loan repayment assistance, certification bonuses; leadership and professional development programs; an employer-matched 401(k); and a generous Combined Time Off (CTO) program.

Position Summary:

Functioning in a dual role as a manager to their department and a consultative resource to the system, ensures that departmental policies and procedures comply with all accrediting and regulatory agencies and are in coordination with the other Covenant facilities for efforts of standardization. Performs functions necessary to manage the activity of Sterile Processing personnel engaged in furnishing sterile and non-sterile supplies, equipment and services for the care and treatment of patients. Oversees all activities related to the hiring, counseling, performance reviews, certification and continuing education of all staff within the department.  Establishes priorities on a day to day, month to month and yearly basis, with direct involvement in budget planning, capital needs and contract service management as related to the facility’s high level disinfection and sterilization needs.  Has the ability to anticipate increased hospital demand, and effectively works in conjunction with Surgery and other impact departments to ensure efficient and timely services are provided through inventory analysis and process workflow improvements.

Recruiter: Jennifer Gordon || jgordon2@covhlth.com || 865-374-8107

• Develop and regularly review established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance program and safety standard; also works with other facilities in joint efforts to standardize best practices.
• Acts as the system knowledge expert in assisting other facilities as well as their home facility in projects to ensure compliance and standardization where appropriate.
• Supervises, guides and control Sterile Processing activities and personnel.
• Demonstrates the ability to observe minute details of procedures and products and ability to teach by use of illustration, demonstration and lecture.
• Ensures established procedures and standards of practice are followed for decontamination, cleaning, processing, and sterilization of instruments and equipment for the facility.
• Ensures standards of operation of the department are in compliance with the standards set by regulatory agencies and organizations such as State Department of Health, The Joint Commission, AAMI, AORN, and TOSHA.
• Responsible for making sure personnel understand the procedure and proper use of sterilizing equipment and daily maintenance of the equipment of the department.
• Collaborates with electrical engineering, maintenance engineering, and biomedical personnel in the regular maintenance of equipment.
• Responsible for interviewing applicants for department, preparing the daily work schedule, counseling employees when necessary, and preparing their evaluations at the appointed time.
• Provides and coordinates in-services for staff at home facility.
• Assists in providing and coordinating in-services for other facilities when appropriate and directed.
• Develops and manages a system scorecard of identified quality metrics for all facilities to collect and report to Q.A. quarterly.
• Responsible for developing department operational budget as well as assists other related departments in planning for routine expenses and project oversight.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Successfully integrates SPD into other departments for successful collaborative involvement in workflows for handling, storage, and support for instrumentation.
• Involved in contract negotiation.
• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

Minimum Education:

None specified; however, must be sufficient to meet the standards for achievement of the below indicated license and/or certification as required by the issuing authority.

Minimum Experience:

Two (2) years experience in Sterile Processing or Central Supply.

Licensure Requirement:

Certification as SPD Technician required.