By Julie E. Williamson
Following a two-year, pandemic-related hiatus of the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) in-person annual conference, this year’s event brought more than 900 attendees together for five days of top-quality education and networking in San Antonio, Texas. The expansive and technologically advanced Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center housed the conference and expo. It provided an ample and inviting space for attendees to learn, grow, share best practices, and engage with peers, renowned industry experts and leading product and service vendors in the sterile processing (SP) space.
Hundreds of attendees arrived early to participate in HSPA’s preconference events on April 23, including hands-on labs that let attendees sharpen their technical skills, and the prepaid Hot Topics in SP Management workshop as well as the Educators Forum. From Sunday through Wednesday, attendees had access to 30 educational sessions spanning a broad range of research- and best-practice-based topics for SP leaders and technicians of every experience level. Just some of many essential session topics included instrument cleaning imperatives; water quality; instrument inspection; container compliance; industry standard and legislatives updates; cognition and mental health in the SPD; instrument transport; sterilization cycle load optimization; SP-related supply chain updates; impact of time and environmental conditions on instrument contamination; challenges in processing robotic instruments; cost analysis strategies; safe medical device care and handling; navigating instructions for use; and core qualities of effective leadership and mentorship.
Educational opportunities weren’t limited to session rooms. More than 60 peer-provided poster presentations covering various SP-related learning experiences, best practices and research from around the world were on display. Dozens of poster creators were on hand during scheduled times to meet with attendees, discuss their key findings and answer questions.
This year’s inspiring keynote speakers drew standing ovations from attendees and underscored the importance of leading with purpose, staying resilient in the face of challenges and uncertainty, taking risks to build a better career and reach personal and professional goals, and tapping a commitment to quality and teamwork to elevate others and promote positive change. Opening keynote speaker Ben Nemtin, the best-selling author of “What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?” and star of “The Buried Life,” shared five steps to help “make the impossible possible”:
Document dreams in writing to make the ideas more real and help put them into action.
Share dreams with others to solicit help when needed and increase personal accountability.
Persist and stay consistent in your effort.
Take “moonshots,” reaching for big dreams and setting goals that others might consider unrealistic.
Give back to others by doing what you love and inspiring others to do the same.
“In your important roles, in your career and personal life, you have to find ways to keep setting goals, reaching for your dreams and leading powerfully by positive example and determination,” Nemtin reminded attendees. “Life can be hard, but it’s how we deal with those challenges and look to find ways of overcoming them by tapping into our strengths and what inspires us is what helps us get where we need and want to be.”
Closing keynote speaker Shola Richards shared an equally inspiring message that urged attendees to lead with kindness, embrace a spirit of teamwork and togetherness, leave the world better than they found it, and be one’s own hero through grace, patience and understanding. “What you do to keep patients safe every day is so important. You are heroes, even when you might not always get the respect and understanding you deserve,” he said to enthusiastic applause. “It’s important to lead with civility and realize that we are defined by how we treat each other – and how we treat ourselves.”
He stressed to the audience the importance of eliminating thoughts that weaken us, such as “I’m not good enough” or “I am incapable,” or “I don’t matter” and advocated for going farther together instead of faster on our own – all messages that should resonate with every human being and certainly every SP professional.
No HSPA Annual Conference would be complete without the vendor expo, and this year’s event did not disappoint. More than 113 exhibiting companies filled the sprawling exhibition space and had representatives on hand to demonstrate the latest products and services and answer attendee questions. Some exhibiting companies also provided targeted education on the show floor, providing yet another valuable opportunity for attendees to earn continuing education credits.
HSPA would like to thank all who participated in our 2022 Annual Conference & Expo and helped make the event so successful. More in-depth editorial coverage of some of HSPA’s 2022 educational sessions will be featured in future issues of OR Today.
NOTE: This article is an abbreviated version of the conference summary published in the July/August 2022 issue of HSPA’s PROCESS magazine.
— Julie E. Williamson serves as HSPA’s director of communications and editor-in-chief.
