Board Blog |
April 1, 2024 - A Spoonful of Healthcare Humor….and a Few Things You Didn’t Learn in Nursing School…
In healthcare, ambulatory surgery centers play a crucial role in advancing the quadruple aim, all by enhancing the patient experience, reducing costs, and improving healthcare outcomes at ASCs, with the incredible support of NJAASC, have already mastered the quadruple aim! We’re unstoppable!
Did I get your attention?
As a board member and current co-chair of the Membership Committee, I am committed to helping to recruit new members to join NJAASC. In all seriousness, I’m happy to share that we are taking a multifaceted, personalized and targeted approach to maximize these efforts. We believe that NJAASC offers many value-added benefits, educational initiatives, strategic partnerships, incredible networking opportunities, and a supportive community environment. Wait, there’s more!
That being said, we welcome you to join us on our membership recruitment journey!
Tell your friends in the ASC community about us! NJAASC has committed to the best in patient care by promoting and sharing best practices, while fostering professional development among healthcare professionals. NJAASC’s newsletter, “The Pulse” highlights upcoming events and shares information, insights and helpful resources for our professional community, as well as our robust calendar of seminars and webinars that provide additional valuable learning opportunities.
NJAASC’s great opportunities to network with colleagues across the state allow our members to learn about best practices and make important connections.
NJAASC can be especially helpful for new Administrators who wish to position themselves for success through knowledge transfer, partnerships, and meaningful collaboration -- NJAASC helps to expand your reach as industry leaders!
The Membership Committee is piloting a variety of techniques to gain insight into how we can engage (and re-engage with) more members. Through these recruitment efforts, potential members are offered the opportunity to attend a quarterly meeting free of charge and learn more about the benefits of membership.
NJAASC’s new ‘buddy system” is designed to help newer members make the most of all that NJAASC has to offer. Did you know you can get a buddy of your own? As a new member, your buddy will be sure to connect with you right away and will follow up with personalized communications to make sure your questions are answered and that you are making the most of all that NJAASC has to offer.
We welcome you to join us on this journey!
Remember that in the world of surgery, a good sense of humor is the best anesthesia.
Alene Stewart
NJAASC Board Member
alene.stewart@scasurgery.com
February 28, 2024 - A Welcome From Our President
Welcome to the NJAASC blog!
As NJAASC President, I am excited to introduce a new forum to share helpful information, engage our members and give them an opportunity to become better acquainted with our board and all that is in store at NJAASC. You can look forward to hearing from our board members and active ASC community over the next few months.
The ASC marketplace is constantly evolving, which presents opportunities for both new and exciting opportunities, as well as the challenges that we face as a community. I am interested in discussing these topics with you, our membership.
I am passionate about a few things that I am excited to share with you: First, I love mentoring leaders. Whether you have been in a leadership role for a long time or are just starting out, there is so much we can all learn from each other. Feel free to reach out to me with a question or concerns. I am happy to give an encouraging word.
I am also passionate about sterile processing. To the outsider, sterile processing may appear daunting. But there are great resources to help managers learn about sterile processing standards. For example, do you know how to monitor the quality of decontamination and sterilization at your surgery center? It can be easier than you think. There are several courses available to train you how to supervise this critical area to your surgery center.
Do you know what a TOSI test is? A Test Object Surgical Instrument (TOSI) Test will examine the effectiveness of your instrument washer. At a minimum, you should be performing a TOSI test every week, but most subject matter experts recommend performing a TOSI test daily. Don’t forget to document the test result with the date and name of the SPD tech that performed the test. There are several manufacturers for “TOSI tests” which are easily searchable online.
Start by asking your SPD tech how often they are performing a TOSI test. Do you have a policy about it? Do you have a log sheet? Look at that - you already have a 10-step quality study in the making. Yes, I forgot to say that I love turning everyday tasks into quality studies! Let’s save that topic for another blog!
I’d love your feedback about what you want to hear more about from us!
Meg Stagliano
NJAASC President
Meg.Stagliano@rwjbh.org