We Do Amazing Things, 365 Days a Year’: Arlene Bush on Honoring Sterile Processing Professionals

As Sterile Processing Week approached, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) President Arlene Bush, CRCST, CER, CIS, CHL, SME, DSMD, CRMST, told Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®) in the Conversation With the President, it’s more than just a calendar event; it’s a chance for teams to shine. “We do amazing things, 365 days a year,” she emphasized, “and it’s sad we only get a week. But this is really our opportunity to showcase what we do.”

Bush, who leads HSPA in 2025, says the annual celebration is the perfect moment for departments to step out from “behind those walls” and help others understand the impact of sterile processing (SP). She encourages teams to educate the broader hospital community: “Have you ever had surgery? Maybe you’ve never seen the inside of an instrument tray…get out and tell people what sterile processing is.”

From instrument demonstrations to vendor partnerships, Bush sees Sterile Processing Week as a chance to reconnect, reeducate, and recalibrate. “Maybe an [instructions for use] has changed,” she noted. “That’d be a perfect thing for sterile processing week—to take a minute, stop, think, and then react.” She added that bringing vendors in to showcase new tools and technology helps departments “stay ready,” so they “don’t gotta get ready.”

But for Bush, the heart of the week is appreciation. SP work is relentless and often invisible. “Some departments are 24/7, 365…the show must go on,” she said. “We continue to do it, day in and day out…and sometimes we forget to say thank you.” Whether through lunches, recognition events, or simple conversations about what employees need to succeed, Bush wants leaders to “really go all out for our teams.”

And SP’s impact reaches beyond hospitals. Bush highlighted growing attention to instrument processing in dental clinics, veterinary medicine, and even tattoo and piercing studios. “It definitely wasn’t a topic at the table,” she said of past years, but today, “there’s a lot of buzz… even at the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation level.” She sees this expansion as a sign of progress: “It’s a move in the right direction.”

Reflecting on her tenure as HSPA President, Bush shared a standout moment: receiving her gavel. “Hands down,” she said, “getting my gavel at conference was the best moment of my career. You never think it’s going to be you, and then it’s you.” What made it meaningful, she added, was sharing it with the association’s membership: “It was for everybody at HSPA.”

Bush also underscored the crucial role of member engagement, especially voting. Out of 67,000 certificate holders, she noted, only about 26,000 are members, and far fewer vote in elections. “Make sure you’re doing the $10 membership,” she urged. “It’s your opportunity to see who is in the boardroom.”

As HSPA prepares for the 2025 conference in Baltimore, Bush is energized by the profession’s growth. “We’re in 135 countries,” she said proudly. “It’s amazing how far our reach has gotten.” Conference submissions hit record levels, proving that SP professionals see real value in gathering, learning, and connecting.

When things get overwhelming, Bush turns to her most grounding ritual—dinner with her kids. “They’re my safe space,” she said. “They don’t even know it’s more for me than it is for them.”

In closing, Bush had one message for the field: “Get your C-suite in the department. Bring in EVS, radiology, wound clinic—let them see what you do. Really get the word out about the importance of sterile processing and everything that we do.”