Open house brings Sterile Processing out from behind the scenes

Last Friday’s open house at Sterile Processing was a rare opportunity to glimpse behind the curtain at the people who prepare all the instruments necessary for WVU Medicine procedures.

A big part of the Sterile Processing operation, mainly located on the fourth floor of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital (a smaller office is located in the southeast tower), is cleaning and sterilizing instruments. They also assemble instruments and prepare carts for each day’s surgical procedures.

Sound like a busy job? In March, the department sterilized more than 470,000 instruments.

During the tour, visitors had an opportunity to meet the staff and ask questions. The tours included a look at the on-site repair truck, informational videos, and demonstrations. Refreshments were also available and a drawing for a gift card.

If you were unable to make it to the event, check out the CONNECT photo gallery.