Why Certifications for Medical Cleaning are Important

Medical Cleaning and Sanitization

Medical care facilities are probably one of the places that are most vulnerable to germs and bacteria. This means you can’t simply trust the maintenance and cleaning of your healthcare facility to anyone who simply knows how to clean. 

This type of cleaning a medical facility requires more than watering office plants, floor vacuuming, or dealing with molds. There is a lot at stake, and it is so important that the cleaning team you hire knows the necessary techniques for proper disinfection. They must be knowledgeable of the medical office cleaning standards. 

Healthcare Cleaning vs Standard Commercial Cleaning

Healthcare cleaning is far different from the good ol’ regular general office cleaning. There are certain compliance and safety issues that are beyond simply mopping the floors, wiping the windows, and emptying the trash cans. Unlike in the standard commercial cleaning, poor health care cleaning will result in way more than resident frustration and angry phone calls. It may lead to contamination and other serious problems that could gravely affect not just the facility, but the residents as well. 

Standard commercial cleaning is more about maintaining the cleanliness of the area or the workplace with a focus on the appearance of the place. Commercial cleaners remove dust and clean surfaces to make the place look presentable and professional looking for the clients as well as the employees. Of course, health and safety are also part of it that is why disinfectants are used on high-touch areas, but not as much as they do with healthcare cleaning. 

Healthcare cleaning focuses on places where patients go. There will always be an influx of pathogens that is why the center of cleaning is to reduce the bio-load (dust, dirt, and grime), clean, disinfect, and sterilize the place instead of keeping the appearance. Hazardous materials are also disposed of in healthcare facilities that is why it is a must that they are knowledgeable on how to dispose of them to avoid contamination. 

What is at stake?

Health care facilities are way more different than a regular store or an office building. Health care facilities are places where patients, people who are seeking medical care go. With the risk of acquiring disease and fear of getting an infection, people expect that the place they go to for medical help is clean and disinfected. No one wants to get treated on a soiled floor or dusty rooms. 

So, what’s at stake? When you leave your health care facility untended, uncleaned, and unsanitized, people will doubt you and your services. People will doubt your reputation, your services, the health and safety of every patient, every consumer that will enter your building.  

Medical Cleaners

Finding the Right Medical Cleaning Service

The first thing you need to know when looking for the right medical cleaning service is if they have a solid reputation in cleaning and maintaining health care facilities. Identify a medical cleaning company that is up to the job by asking around. Ask other facility managers who are also managing health care facilities for cleaning companies. These referrals would let you select which one will be a good fit for your facilities. 

But what else do you need to confirm that they are the right ones to pick? They must have three certifications that will prove they are knowledgeable in terms of cleaning health care facilities.

Three Certifications for Medical Cleaning

These are the three certifications you need to look for in a cleaning company you will hire. 

1.Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Professional (CHESP)

The CHESP provides a rundown of the skills and knowledge required in cleaning a medical facility. People who are Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Professional are trained in the following topics:

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Design and construction
  • Environmental sanitation operations
  • Waste management operation
  • Textile management operations
  • Finance 
  • Administration 

2. Certified Surgical Cleaning Technician (T-CSCT)

According to the Association of the Healthcare Environment (AHE), the curriculum of the  Certified Surgical Cleaning Technician (T-CSCT) builds the ability of professionals who are responsible for cleaning sensitive conditions such as in high-stakes surgical and procedure environments. 

The topics involved are: 

  • Executing proper sterile room cleaning and disinfecting techniques
  • Standard operating room procedures and protocols to prevent pathogen transmission
  • Application of critical thinking and decision-making skills in the operating room
  • Communicating effectively with colleagues

The “T” in T-CSCT means that the professional trained in CSCT is certified to train other people. This is crucial, especially if you are planning to expand your team. 

3. The Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention for Environmental Services Professionals (CIMP)

Communication is a much-needed key to the success of your environmental services program. The curriculum of the Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention strengthens the knowledge needed in coordinating and aligning efforts across the care team to implement infection prevention strategies and improve the outcome. The AHE claims that the CIMP program is the only program that brings the knowledge of an infection prevention specialist into the real day-to-day operations of a medical facility. 

The CMIP program covers the following topics:

  • Microbiology and epidemiology
  • Patient and healthcare worker safety
  • Surveillance
  • Risk assessment and outbreaks
  • Antimicrobial stewardship
  • Evidence-based cleaning practices
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Infection prevention during construction and emergencies
Medical Cleaners

Why Certifications for Medical Cleaning Important?

The three certifications for medical cleaning are important to ensure that they know and understand the specific cleaning standards needed for medical care facilities. 

Takeaway

Cleaning medical facilities are not as simple as cleaning a regular office. There are a lot of things at stake. Think about this. What if the people you hire for your medical facility cleaning are not knowledgeable or trained to clean a healthcare facility? Things could go wrong and your reputation may be dragged down due to this mistake.

Be sure to hire only the right people. Check their certificates, check their reputation, have a background check. Add a layer of security for you and your team. 

If you have certain cleaning needs, do not hesitate to contact us. We have trained professionals who are ready to answer your inquiries.