Beginning today, central services (CS) professionals can apply for Steris scholarships for International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) certification. Steris and IAHCSMM have joined forces to provide scholarship opportunities for certification as part of their shared commitment to those who are looking for a career in reprocessing.
“Steris was the founder of the first IAHCSMM education grant in 2008, which illustrates our ongoing interest in advancing the profession,” said Richard Schule, director of clinical education and co-chair of Steris University. “We are very pleased to provide scholarships to healthcare professionals pursuing national certification in support of their commitment to perform quality work in their reprocessing departments.”
“We are grateful to Steris for its ongoing support of IAHCSMM and the CS profession, and are excited about this new certification scholarship program,” said IAHCSMM Executive Director Susan Adams. “CS certification plays a key role in advancing technician knowledge, competencies and professionalism. This scholarship program will help quality-focused CS professionals attain their certification, which is a good thing for the profession, the hospital departments CS serves, and above all, the patients.”
Scholarship awardees can enroll in one of three IAHCSMM courses of study: the Central Service Technical Course and Exam, the Instrument Specialist Course and Exam (prerequisite is CRCST certification), or the Healthcare Leadership Course and Exam (prerequisite is CRCST or CIS certification). Each year, additional nationally certified courses will be considered for inclusion in the program.
Those interested in applying should visit the Steris University home page (http://university.steris.com/sterisu/) and click on the link above the IAHCSMM logo to download, print and complete the scholarship application form. The sender will be notified when the application is received and sent to the Steris University Scholarship Program Committee for review. Once they have completed the course and are ready to sit for the certification exam, they can notify Steris University to obtain their Exam Seat Voucher.
