Improve Employee Recruitment and Retention for SPD

By Marie Brewer, CST, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, GTS, CLSSBB

Employee recruitment and retention rank high on the list of challenges sterile processing (SP) leaders routinely face. Aside from the challenging work environment, healthcare organizations that offer low pay and limited opportunity for advancement struggle even more. Compounding the problem even more are outdated sterile processing departments (SPDs), staff shortages, and insufficient budgets for departmental improvements.      

Fortunately, there is a path forward for SP leaders aiming to address staffing challenges proactively. First, it is essential that SP leaders understand the employment market, particularly during times of fluctuation. For example, contract pay rates for travelers have decreased significantly in some parts of the country in 2024. This has led many travelers to return to full-time facility positions. SP leaders need access to the right data—and they must be experienced in understanding and applying it to keep a finger on the pulse of the current market. 

Working with the facility’s talent acquisition and marketing teams is an effective strategy, as is reviewing and analyzing data results and acting on it appropriately. Leaders must be aware of local and regional competitors and draft a business proposal to develop a robust compensation package that generates interest and rewards the value of the role. Some of the more effective strategies I have implemented that can be adopted by other SP leaders include: 

1. Providing a robust clinical ladder with commensurate pay increases – Tie certifications to tasks in the job descriptions. This helps define the value of the certifications and the return on investment (ROI) as it pertains to funding technician’s education and certification exam fees. 
2. Transition back to in-person interviews – While meeting candidates virtually served a purpose at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not an ideal interviewing method for technicians, especially those who are new to sterile processing. Prospective new hires will not understand the breadth of the role and tasks without having an opportunity to see it firsthand. 
3. Be clear about expectations for the role – Clearly define the role and attendance policy and share how you manage overtime for the team (and the types of situations that would necessitate the extra hours). Explain what call shifts typically look like, how often they tend to occur and for what reasons, and how long employees can be expected to be there. Some candidates will welcome this opportunity; others may decide the role is not for them. Equally important is exploring ways to promote a healthy work-life balance. Every employee has a life and loved ones outside the facility, so leaders must take that into consideration.  
4. Use behavior-based interview questions – Asking some challenging questions gives leaders an opportunity to learn more about the applicant and how they might function in the department. A few questions I ask are: How do you receive critical feedback? What type of person do you least prefer to work with and how do you manage to work effectively with such an individual? Which aspects of yourself or the job would you like to improve, and what you have done to address them? How do you navigate interpersonal conflict? What concerns you the most about performing the duties required for this position and how do you envision overcoming those concerns? Why should we hire you?
5. Tap the power of peer interviews – Leaders should consider bringing their best and brightest technicians (ideally a diverse group) who are engaged and welcoming into the interviewing process. These employees’ intuition and interactions with the candidate can help determine if the candidate is a good fit; however, it also allows the candidate to learn more about their prospective co-workers. Peer-led interviews also give the candidate the opportunity to get to know the team and see how they interact as well. 
6. Embrace the job shadowing process – Shadowing sessions should be lengthy enough to (one to two hours long) to give the candidate time to observe the department and team in real time and ask questions about the work environment. The process promotes natural conversations and valuable information to be shared. Timing matters with job shadows, however. Don’t bring a candidate in during quiet times unless that is truly the environment in which they would work. 
7. Include frontline staff for the final candidate selection – Allowing staff to participate in selecting their next team members increases their engagement in the process. Most existing employees are more excited to onboard a new hire whom they believed was the fit for the department.  
8. Harness the power of social media – Recruitment through local social media advertising can be an effective strategy, especially when positive statements about the organization’s culture, career-growth opportunities and benefits are included in the messaging. The marketing and talent acquisition teams can be strong strategic partners in these endeavors. 

Conclusion

Sterile processing leaders should always be seeking to attract, hire and retain the best talent. To enhance recruiting efforts, leaders must be more than just an interviewer. They must also serve as an ambassador for the organization and advocate for quality and safety and demonstrate why any applicant would want to work in the facility and department.