Beyond Clean Podcast

You've been promoted. Congratulations! But what happens when the people you worked beside yesterday are suddenly looking to you for answers today? In this episode of "Lead with Confidence," Brian Ascencio from Surgical Solutions gets real about the challenges of making the leap from technician to first-time Sterile Processing leader. Brian shares key lessons on navigating new boundaries, setting c...

Trays are piling up. Staffing is stretched thin. Quality issues keep popping up. When everything feels urgent, how do you know what to tackle first? In this episode of "Lead with Confidence," Betty Casey from Surgical Solutions breaks down how data can help Sterile Processing leaders cut through the noise and make more confident, informed decisions. Whether it's tracking tray backlogs, improving s...

Everyone wants safer patient care, smoother workflows, and stronger teams. So why can it still feel like the OR, Sterile Processing, and industry partners are working in completely different directions? In Episode 1 of our brand-new podcast series, "Lead with Confidence," host Bobby Parker welcomes Kirk Leonardelli, CEO of Surgical Solutions, to discuss what it takes to turn separate priorities in...

How do you disinfect what you can't immerse? In this Beyond Clean special release podcast episode, recorded LIVE at HSPA 2026, Garrett Hollembeak joins STERIS's Karen Owens and Bianca Paskert to explore the growing challenges of cleaning complex, battery-powered, and electronic devices. Together, they'll break down where variability creeps in, why workarounds create hidden risks, and what leaders...

You press play, pass the quiz, and add another CE to your collection. But have you ever wondered what it takes for that education to become CE-approved in the first place? In this Season 33 finale episode, Bobby and Jason are turning the mic to Beyond Clean's Chelsea Schmitz for a behind-the-scenes look at how continuing education programs become CE-approved. With more than 500 CE submissions unde...

Sore feet? Aching knees? Tight shoulders? If you work in SPD, you probably just checked at least one of these boxes. In this week's episode of "Built Different: Training in SPD," Bobby and Jason connect with SPD professional and competitive bodybuilder Rebecca Lauber to talk about a side of the job we don't discuss nearly enough: the physical toll it can take on your body. From lifting heavy trays...

What if a little friendly competition could change the way your SPD team learns? This week, Bobby and Jason sit down with Ashley Thompson to talk about how gamification can turn everyday education into something technicians actually want to participate in. She shares how points, quizzes, personalized rewards, and healthy competition helped her team take a more active role in their own learning and...

If you ask three technicians how a process gets done in your SPD, there's a good chance you'll get three different answers. So how do you get everyone on the same page? In this week's episode of "Built Different: Training in SPD," Jhmeid Billingslea joins the conversation to explain why standardization is about much more than writing another SOP. He breaks down the difference between policies and...

Are your annual competencies actually measuring proficiency, or just checking boxes? This week, Bobby and Jason sit down with SPD educator Tanya Cambise for an honest conversation about what annual competencies should look like in Sterile Processing. Tanya explains why competency verification isn't about checking another box; it's about ensuring your team can confidently and consistently perform e...

Dig out those competency binders, #CleanFreaks! On this episode of Beyond Clean, Bobby Parker and co-host Jason Minutillo welcome Jeremy Bernier to discuss what it really takes to bring a competency program into the digital age. He explains why modernizing your competencies isn't just about incorporating technology; it's about creating a system that supports continuous learning, reflects real work...

Looking around your SPD, chances are many of your fellow #CleanFreaks found their way into Sterile Processing through very different journeys. But that's beginning to change. This week, we sit down with Veronica Martinez, Sterile Processing Coordinator at Mountainland Technical College, to explore how collegiate programs are changing the way people begin their careers in Sterile Processing. Veroni...

Every strong SPD starts with strong leadership. The question is: how do you build it? On the Season 33 premiere of Beyond Clean, we sit down with Jason Minutillo and Concepcion "Connie" Class Ballejo to explore what it really takes to prepare new leaders before they're expected to lead. They discuss everything from mentorship and structured onboarding to creating support systems that help new mana...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us on this week's CE approved episode of Beyond Clean as we embark on a one-of-a-kind conversation with Osama Alsadawi, BSHA, AMST, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, Assistant Chief of Sterile Processing Services, and self-professed data nerd. Delving into his personal journey and...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean.   Our industry is increasingly becoming a high tech space. But are our technicians and training keeping up? In this week's episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by Amanda Wilcox, CSPDT, the powerhouse Education Coordinator for Sterile Processing at UH Hospitals. Amanda takes...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us this week on Beyond Clean as Jason Minutillo, Regional Director of Quality for HLD and Sterilization at UC Health, takes us on a tour into the intricate data ecosystem of Sterile Processing staffing. From unraveling crucial keywords like FTEs to detailing the nuances...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. In this episode 4 of Season 21 of Beyond Clean, we're joined by the reprocessing tag-team of Tracy Raymond and Jen Barnickel from Vested Medical, to unravel the nuances of vendor-owned inventory management in the Sterile Processing space. The duo highlights the significance...

Sterilization monitoring shouldn't slow your department down. On this week's Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™, Matt Linabery and Larry Talapa from Solventum join us to share how Solventum's latest solutions are helping SPD teams simplify workflows while increasing confidence in their sterilization monitoring processes. From the digital pass/fail results and innovative technology of the 3M™ Attest™ e...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us in this episode 3 of Season 21 on Beyond Clean as we focus in on "technician-specific" instrument data that will make your resume *POP* with industry expert Seamus Johnson, innovation leader at Censis Technologies. Discover the possibilities of capturing technician-s...

Your steam cycle finishes, and out of habit, someone cracks the sterilizer door. Sound familiar? On this episode of Beyond Clean, we sit down with Echo Pontinen, Sterile Processing Educator at Lee Health, to take a closer look at the long-standing practice of cracking the sterilizer door after a cycle. This conversation will dive into what sterilizer IFUs actually recommend, why wet loads happen i...

At first glance, most rigid endoscopes look pretty much the same. So why can some be steam sterilized while others absolutely can't? On this episode of "SPD Fact Check," Kurt Audette, Clinical Specialist at KARL STORZ, helps us look beyond the surface and into the complex design features that determine how rigid endoscopes should be reprocessed. From understanding how optics respond to temperature...

Your SPD has temperature controls, storage policies, and carefully designed workflows to protect sterility. So what happens when your instruments leave your facility and head to a clinic across town? This week, we're sitting down with Krystal Parrish to explore the real-world challenges of maintaining sterile storage best practices across clinics and specialty practices. From soiled instruments wr...

What does it really take to make sure a black speck problem never comes back? In the final episode of "What the Speck?," Sterile Processing expert Kendra Lucas shares the real-world story of how her team worked through one of the most disruptive debris issues a department can face. From canceled surgeries and strained OR/SPD relationships to the detailed root cause analysis needed to uncover the s...

You're doing the work. You're solving the problems. Now it's time to take the lead! On this Season 2 finale of "On Pathogens & PPE," host Jill Holdsworth is joined by Kelly Zabriskie, Lee Smith, Dr. Kevin Bush, and David Jagrosse to take a closer look at what leadership really means in Sterile Processing. From finding your voice and building confidence to forming partnerships and stepping beyond t...

You run a borescope through an instrument, and something doesn't look right. Is it debris? Damage? Or has it always been there? On this episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by William Filipponi to break down one of the biggest challenges teams face after implementing borescopes: knowing what you're actually looking at. From telling the difference between debris and manufacturing artifact to build...

Black specks may be small, but the tension they create between departments can be anything but. In this episode of "What the Speck ? ," Alex Miseirvitch from Aesculap ® joins us again to talk about one of the most overlooked challenges in solving the black speck mystery—finger-pointing. When trays are rejected and surgeries are delayed, the pressure to find someone responsible can quickly overshad...