Formalized CS Tech Education through BOCES

The New York State Association of Central Service Professionals has reached another major milestone in the quest towards mandatory certification.

In the fall of 2007 the NYSACSP education committee was charged with the task of developing an educational program for existing and future CS members to meet the requirements of the proposed mandatory certification legislative bill.

The committee reached out to the Onondaga/Madison County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), for assistance in this project. Unknown to us at the time, the OM BOCES is only one of two in the New York system that can develop and roll out programs to the entire 29 member BOCES groups in NY.

The education committee members, Marsha Hardick, educational advisor, Steve Maley and Wilma Lasher assisted the BOCES staff in developing a program based on available educational material for training new and existing Sterile Processing Technicians. The program was developed and submitted to the NYS Department of Education (DOE) for approval.  The new program received approval by the NYS DOE in the spring of 2008. Subsequently, the program was submitted to the Federal Government for approval and financial qualification. Receiving approval from the Federal Government would permit students to apply for financial aide to pay for the cost of the program.  This approval was successfully received in October 2008.  The program is scheduled to be rolled out by BOCES in February 2009.

Through the efforts of the NYS Association of Central Service Professionals and members of the Curriculum Advisor committee in the Syracuse area such as Diane Waldon, Carol Corso, Barb Goettel, we now have an outstanding program that meets the requirement to educate as needed, with eligibility for financial assistance as necessary and can be rolled out uniformly throughout New York State.

There is still much work to do prior to a scheduled rollout date. Instructor criteria must be developed, sites for clinical teaching researched, and much more. But, we have reached another rung in the ladder, another feather in our cap, another proud moment in our quest for Mandatory Certification.

All members of our profession, staff and management should be very proud of this achievement, as we now have one of a very few recognized educational programs for sterile processing in the United States.  Keep the wave going……   

 

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