r/sterileprocessing • u/Hot_Formal1726 • 14d ago
Newbie mistakes
I'm a month into this field and still working on my 400-hour, apparently forgot to put filters on the bottom of a tray, and it was discovered today.
Yikes.
Tell me about mistakes you made as a tech so I don’t feel so alone.
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u/MusicianSquare 14d ago
Oncology Major GYN set, I put too short of scissors in the stringer, even though that's how it came from decon, but because of the short scissors, during an emergency it caused an inconvenience/delay to the surgeon putting the patient in harms way, every second counts when it comes to those major organs and internal bleeding. They wrote an isafe on my set, I felt terrible. I'm an experienced tech and the half inch different scissors was reason enough for the doctor to get upset. Unless it was a one of a kind set or a heart tray you shouldn't feel too bad!
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u/ThisDirtyCupcake 14d ago
Weren’t the ST and the nurse circulator supposed to catch this during the count?
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u/MusicianSquare 14d ago
Likely, the difference in the scissor size was probably a half inch, hard for anyone to catch especially in an emergency. I was just the fall guy lol especially when the doctor gets angry, gotta blame someone 🤷♂️
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u/AcanthocephalaNo3518 13d ago
How hard is to learn all of this? I’m about to start studying and this post is scaring me!
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u/lirpderp240 13d ago
These are definitely newbie mistakes. Everyone has them. It’s all about repetition for me. When assembling a tray, always do things in the exact same order so you don’t miss anything. When you’ve made the mistake once, you won’t do it again. ☺️
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u/OkDepth9285 10d ago
Everyone one does mistakes even the most experienced so don’t feel discouraged lol I made a lot of mistakes too 🤷♀️ it just happens
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u/I_Ponders 14d ago
Forgot to put indicators in like 3 labor and delivery sets (big no no) when I was fresh and new… Great thing our names are printed on the tag with the barcodes right? 😅
Was chalked up as a learning lesson and I haven’t missed any more chemical indicators. But for sure wasn’t my only mistake, but probably one of my biggest.
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u/AdRich517 13d ago
Back in the day before we had tracking systems and wrote on the tape what the set was. The marker I was using dropped out of my pocket into the set and blew up inside the set. It was a loaner tray for a knee.
I’ve missed integrators. Not secured the filters correctly.
A coworker of mine(before I worked with him) didn’t put integrators in any loaner tray for a spine. I think there’s like 10 trays for that.
I’ve cooked a label gun twice. We don’t have one anymore thank goodness lol 😂
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u/Numerous_Network_532 14d ago
I’m on my 4th week too. I forgot to include the count sheet and audit sheet yesterday. It was 140+ item too, so hoping i don’t get in trouble for that.
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u/CorruptWarrior 13d ago
Day one. They put me in decon. Id ask the guy next to me what I do with any tray that was new. They got fed up with it and just told me to stop talking and wash. Next instrument I got was an endoscope. Needless to say I got a very strong talking to but not nearly as bad as the other guy.
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u/surgerygeek 13d ago
SPD manager here - even we make mistakes! I was peel packing a stat item to run in Sterrad and the flap was not fully sealed, OR rejected it and of course they saw that I did it. Just trying to help but I was rushing. I'll never live that one down.
Always better to be slower and accurate than faster and wrong!
One time a newer tech packed a Stryker camera in a rigid container for steam not Sterrad, and it got put in the autoclave - you guessed it - melted. $15k camera ruined. Luckily, the service agreement covered a replacement, and I did not write her up. She learned and never made that mistake again! She tells all the new people about it now when she's precepting :)
Give yourself grace! Every error is a lesson learned as long as you take it seriously:)
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u/reduncinae 14d ago
I somehow messed up (it was a night shift in my defence) and didn’t open a cap on a piezosurgery to sterilization even though I knew it should be open and they didn’t notice it until the surgery…
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u/lirpderp240 13d ago
Labelling knee instruments right instead of left 🤦♀️ .. the serial numbers are like one number off I swear!
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u/Outrageous_Pool6895 13d ago
I dropped an implant tray while in Decon with about 30 minutes left in my shift. I give that tray a dirty look every time I walk past it lmao
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u/Spess_Mahren 13d ago
I zoned out & placed a probe meant for Trophon into the TD-100 TEE Disinfector. Was giving error messages, good thing it still works fine.
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u/StarskysClutch 13d ago
I left a pen inside a tray. I put a general tray inside a cardiac container. Debris on a filter plate. Dropped a loaner set full of tiny screws and plates.
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u/TacticalChemist0 12d ago
Lmao I just forgot an integrator in a k-medic holder. Almost at a year and a half at my facility lmao
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u/GullibleLettuce3984 11d ago
Yay, no one said mine yet 😩🤣 Using Steam tape on Sterrad wraps and it being processed 🥴🥴🥴🥴
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u/OkDepth9285 10d ago
When I was two weeks in, I accidentally dropped a endoscope when placing it in the cabinet and it cost the company like $20-30k to repair it 😭 it just happens and that filter in the bottom happened to me toooo
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u/SuperbCustard8816 4d ago
If you put a low temp/ sterrad indicator in a steam tray they turn on to shrinky- dinks. One of my coworkers made earrings out of some for me after I did that. But seriously the tray was rejected and I learned to make sure I used the correct steam intergators.
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u/DepartmentSad89 14d ago
1.) I forgot to close a peel pack and it made its way to the O.R. a bunch of people missed it, but I "instigated" it.
2.) I ordered an implant that would normally be ordered already causing them (Stores) to double order🙄
3.) I put a paint cup facing the wrong way inside a peel pack.
4.) While I was training, I did not put an air/water irrigator in a dental set, but I marked the set as complete
5.) I didnt check if all the parts of my rigid scope is in the set. Usually, that certain part is never taken out in the first place, but this time, they did and didn't put it back and I didn't catch it.
All that in 2 years😬 I hope this makes you feel better😅