Every year, the HSPA Foundation offers scholarships for Sterile Processing technicians to serve on a Mercy Ships mission, bringing their expertise and passion to those in need in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In episode 152, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Kimberly Polard and Oliver Etcu about the Mercy Ships organization and life on a medical mission ship. Polard describes the application process and her experiences onboard. Etcu reviews how Mercy Ships collaborates with local governments to select ports of call and identify the inviting country’s most urgent medical and educational needs. Listen to learn about the life-changing work of Mercy Ships.

Etcu also recommends watching The Mercy Ships, a reality show being filmed on board, which he says is “a very good way to experience what the ship has to offer from a volunteer’s point of view.” Stream season 1 here.

Our Guests

Kimberly Polard, Sterile Processing Technician

Kimberly Polard, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, is an SP technician with five years of experience, including time spent serving on Mercy Ships. Her time at sea deepened her appreciation for the power of teamwork and dedication in healthcare. She is passionate about the critical role sterile processing plays in ensuring safe, successful surgeries.

Oliver Etcu, Sterile Processing Clinical Coordinator, Mercy Ships

Oliver Etcu is a Medical Device Reprocessing Technician based in Canada who specializes in sterile processing and infection prevention. Through his work with Mercy Ships, he has supported surgical teams by ensuring the safety and sterility of critical medical instruments in high-impact, resource-limited settings. Passionate about patient safety and global health, Etcu brings a behind-the-scenes perspective on the essential role sterile processing plays in delivering life-changing surgeries.

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On a daily basis, Sterile Processing professionals use chemicals that can cause workplace-related injuries or make us ill over time. Although these chemicals are a necessary part of our jobs, updated monitoring standards and emerging technology can help protect us from their long-term effects.

In episode 151, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Alex Hilliker of ChemDAQ about the increased emphasis on short-term exposure monitoring. Hilliker discusses the evolving landscape of standards and regulations worldwide and how the implementation of short-term exposure limits (STELs) follows global trends and increases the culture of safety in our departments. He advocates for changing not just the way we think about chemical exposure but also “the measures we take every day to protect our teams and verify compliance.” Listen and learn more.

The ChemDAQ/ASP white paper on hydrogen-peroxide emissions safety (part 1) is also available for download, and if you missed Hilliker’s first appearance on Process This!, check out episode 125 : Chemical Safety in the SPD.

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ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

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Water quality plays a critical role in surgical procedures, clinical diagnostics and medical research as well as the overall operation of healthcare facilities. Yet, confusion often surrounds ST108 and water management in Sterile Processing workflows. You’re trying to follow the standard, but problems persist. Now what?

In episode 150, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Matt Bero and Brian Battani of Xylem about common traps SP professionals face when implementing ST108. Bero and Battani discuss how equipment can affect water system design and how to avoid undersizing or oversizing. Listen to increase your understanding of distribution loop pitfalls and gain strategies for maintenance, sampling and monitoring that can be applied to your processes immediately.

Our Guests

Brian Battani

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The HSPA Board of Directors has a new president for 2026! In episode 149, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Jan Prudent about her inspirations and ideas and the importance of integrity. Prudent shares her views on the current state of our industry. She discusses why she sought this position, her plans for her tenure, and gives advice on how others can get involved with the HSPA Board of Directors.

Czarnowski also highlights the educational posters available on the HSPA website. Submitted by SP professionals and industry experts from around the world, the posters were on display at a previous HSPA Annual Conference. They cover a wide variety of SP-related topics, best practices, challenges, and research and are a valuable educational and teaching resource for all SP professionals. Visit the Educational Posters page to to learn more at https://myhspa.org/education/educational-posters/. Note: The posters from HSPA 2026 in Baltimore will be added by early June.

About Our Guest

Jan Prudent, BA, CRCST, CIS, CER, CFER, CHL, FCS, is an SP educator and subject matter expert with 29 years of experience in the sterile processing profession. She has contributed widely to publications and presented at many events, including HSPA conferences and chapter meetings. Prudent previously served four years on the HSPA Board of Directors with two as Secretary/Treasurer, and she is now starting her tenure as President. She holds her bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University and is an HSPA Fellow. Prudent has two boys and six grandchildren. She is a 4-H instructor for art, gardening and shooting sports as well as being a 4-H grant writer.

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Harmonizing Process and Policy

Large, multi-facility healthcare systems, sometimes spread across several counties or states, pose unique challenges for Sterile Processing (SP) leaders. Competing state and local regulations as well as physical constraints of space, conflicting priorities and different operating hours can make it challenging to harmonize policies and procedures across sites.

In episode 148, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Stacey MacArthur, an SP professional with 35 years of experience and current member of the HSPA Board of Directors, about working effectively in a multi-facility system. MacArthur explains the importance of choosing to collaborate with other stakeholders, including fellow SP leaders and colleagues in Infection Prevention, Quality, and Risk Management. She reviews projects that have benefited from system-wide standardization and their associated challenges. Listen to learn strategies to work smarter, prioritize important tasks (not just urgent ones), and speak with leadership about change, all with the goals of achieving compliance and supporting sustainable outcomes.

Guest Speaker:

Stacey MacArthur

Stacey MacArthur, MS, CRCST, CER, CIS, CHL, started her Sterile Processing career at the tender age of 19. She has worked in a variety of SP roles and is currently the Director of Central Sterile Processing at Oregon Health and Science University based in Portland. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Warner Pacific University. MacArthur has served on the Cascade chapter board since 2016 and is the chapter’s current President. She also serves on the HSPA Board of Directors. MacArthur is passionate about our industry and strives to elevate and empower the professionals who do this life-saving work.

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To meet the needs of Sterile Processing (SP) professionals around the world, HSPA regularly updates its technical publications. In 2026, we are proud to present the fifth edition of our Sterile Processing Leadership Manual. The forthcoming edition intends to be a useful resource for any SP professional aiming to broaden their leadership knowledge. Many will also use it to study for HSPA’s Certified Healthcare Leader (CHL) exam, which is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB).

In episode 147, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with the HSPA team members who worked for more than a year on updating this text. The group explains the reasons behind and importance of revisions, reviews the various steps of a book update, and introduces the many people and partners involved in the process. They also discuss projects on the horizon as well as new advances in how HSPA delivers its educational resources.

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Sterilization wrap is a science unto itself. Individuals, organizations and companies around the world constantly seek safer, more durable options for keeping our patients safe, while considering the ecological effects of healthcare waste.

In episode 146, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with members of the KiiP Group about shelf life, event-related risks and sustainability. The panel explores critical topics related to sterile wrap usage in healthcare settings, with an emphasis on the purpose and importance of IFU, best practices for sterile storage, metal mass and validated dry time, and opportunities for improving sterility assurance. The group references standards and regulations and closes with a discussion of the logistics of sterile wrap recycling. Packed with valuable information, this episode is worth 1.0 CE.

Our Guests:

Jennifer Zeck, BSN, RN, CRCST, CER, CIS

Malinda Elammari, CST, CSPM, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, CSPDT, CFER, CSIS, CLSSGB, HACP-IC

Sade Brown, PhD

Tanya Magaña

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A History of Sterilization

The history of the science of sterilization is fascinating and tied inextricably with developments in germ theory and infection prevention. The pioneers of sterilization, at times working against great odds, laid the groundwork for the processes healthcare professionals use every day to keep billions of patients safe.

In episode 145, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Kim Schober, Accredited Provider Program Director for Health.edu, all about the history of sterilization. Schober introduces the early physicians and scientists who saw that the world could be a safer place. She explains how their ideas and experiments helped shape key advances in sterilization and led to our modern practices and equipment.

[Guest Speaker]

Kim Schober

Throughout her career, Kim Schober has gained diverse clinical experience in Labor and Delivery, Infertility, Home Healthcare and Rehabilitation. Her dedication to excellence in patient care and team development has led her to serve in a variety of roles, including floor nurse, charge nurse, nurse educator and nurse manager. In her current leadership role at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Schober educates and recruits instructors across numerous healthcare disciplines, including Nursing, EMS, Nurse Aide, Radiation Technology, Physical Therapy, Respiratory Therapy, and Sterile Processing. Schober holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Education from Lubbock Christian University. Through her work, she continues to advance healthcare education and support the development of future healthcare professionals.

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Just like the work of sterile processing, HSPA certifications are robust, relevant, and constantly evolving. The process of keeping certification exams and requirements up to date involves years of work, the expertise of subject matter experts (SMEs), and the input of thousands of current certification holders. HSPA’s rigorous test development process ensures that each certification holder is ready to meet the modern demands of their job and the increasing complexity of the healthcare field.

In episode 144, host Casey Czarnowski speaks with Siri Sorensen, Director of Certification and Membership with HSPA, about updating HSPA certifications. Siri reviews each step in the process—job analysis, desk study, task force meeting, validation survey, and SME meetings—as well as the role of the Certification Council. She also explains a new eligibility requirement of the Certified Healthcare Leader (CHL) certification, which requires CHL holders to meet one of three flexible pathways, each designed to recognize the diverse backgrounds and experiences of SP professionals. Listen to learn about the collaborative nature of the HSPA certifications accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB).

Siri Sorensen

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Biofilm is “comprised of living cells and a structure to protect them . . . that has potentially infectious material within it.” The structure creates a physical barrier between the microorganisms and their environment, providing protection from cleaning chemistries, disinfectants, antibiotics and the body’s immune system.

In episode 143, host Jon Wood speaks with Dr. Jon Burdach of Nanosonics. They discuss all things biofilm: what it is, how it develops and why it is so persistent. Dr. Burdach explains the difference between preventing biofilm and removing it, and he makes a compelling case for why removal is more important. He references recent studies, including those revealing that commonly used chemicals can act as fixatives and exacerbate biofilm growth. Dr. Burdach also reviews what can happen when biofilm is introduced into the body and its role in hospital-acquired infection (HAI) outbreaks over time. Lastly, the conversation turns to the particular challenge of cleaning flexible endoscope channels. Dr. Burdach introduces the cyclic-buildup biofilm (CBB) research model and shares developments in emerging lumen cleaning technologies.

This episode of Process This! addresses the far-reaching implications of biofilm and what SP professionals can do to help. “If we are better armed with the right knowledge, we can do better by our patients,” said Dr. Burdach. “Processing instruments is hard . . . but the people that do it are really what makes all the difference.”

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Jon Burdach is a medical affairs executive with extensive experience in clinical research. At Nanosonics, he is responsible for developing and executing the company’s medical strategy, including healthcare professional engagement, scientific communications and medical education initiatives. He also oversees clinical research and R&D activities. He has worked in medical microbiology, genetics of anti-microbial resistance, molecular biology, and medical research within infection prevention. Dr. Burdach is an international speaker, author of numerous scientific publications, and committee member for AusMedTech NSW and AAMI. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of New South Wales.

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