AUGUST - 20228Beate Graeter, Director, Sterile Processing, Caromont HealthByAlong with expertise in instrument sterilization and packaging, Beate Graeter is experienced in many other healthcare areas, such as acute care, nursing, inpatient and outpatient care, clinical research, nursing education, and Cardiac Interventional/Electrophysiology procedures. This expertise allows her to carry out her responsibilities with primary focus on patient safety. In an interview with CIOReview, Beate talks about how the sterilization and packaging space is evolving, the challenges that instrument technicians face every day, and the practices that can be implemented to improve their work-lives. Can you tell our readers about yourself and your sterilization and packaging space journey?I have been a Cath Lab/EP Lab and Cardiac Critical Care nurse for almost 20 years here in the United States. I grew up in Germany and worked in different healthcare settings there. I started my healthcare career in a doctor's office and worked as a Medical Technologist in a hospital laboratory before moving to the US.I became a Registered Nurse in the early 1990s. After obtaining my BSN, my career took a turn from the clinical setting to administration. In 2018, I had an opportunity to transfer into a new position in our Sterile Processing Department (SPD). The program needed a clinical leader, someone with a clinical background to collaborate with the clinicians in the surgery department to achieve process and performance improvement goals. My experience as a nurse and administrator in the organization were beneficial. I had a lot to learn about sterilization and SPD, but my strengths in operations and my process-oriented approach were very helpful during the transition. For THE INCREASING RELEVANCE OF STERILIZATION AND PACKAGING me, things are either right or wrong, either safe or not safe for our patients. I will stand my ground with clinical leaders and physicians to ensure the patient's safety. I do not believe in short-cuts and work-arounds ­ these practices compromise our culture of safety and put our patients at risk. Beate GraeterIn My Opinion
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