Hands-on-learning means learning by doing. Experiential learning environments provide endless hands-on learning benefits for children of all ages. Young children learn through meaningful hands-on experiences—through touching, doing, and moving. Research has shown that in fact people of all ages learn better when they are actively engaged in their learning journey.

Little more than a week ago, I finally got to see many of you, old friends and new, at the HSPA Conference in Nashville. It was a real pleasure to gather with everyone and spend time together. A big thank you to all those who attended Dewey’s presentation on Sunday “The Science of Cleaning” and to our colleagues who joined in on Saturday, rolled up your sleeves, and participated in our hands-on program “It's Magic, Now you see it, Now you don't”. We had a great time broadening our knowledge of cleaning and decontaminating medical devices, watching a video or two, but the hands-on experience was what I felt was truly meaningful and fun. Who knew that non-visible soils can be more dangerous than what we can see with the naked eye and that cleaning indicators, even a single use wipe, can be used to detect retained soils. Let’s not forget how the effectiveness of cleaning agents is so much enhanced by thorough rinsing after cleaning.

Albert Einstein once said, “When you stop learning you start dying” after all your brain is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets. And probably one of the best ways for adults to continue learning is through hands-on learning, some professionals consider it uniquely positioned to benefit any type of learner. Here at Case Medical our knowledgeable sales staff is always available to provide hands-on demos or in-service your staff on any number of topics related to our 360º approach to instrument processing. Whether it’s how water quality affects device reprocessing and the need for cleaners formulated with chelating agents to deal with minerals in water, to descaling steam sterilizers because your facility’s steam isn’t as clean as it should be and for demonstrating how to use our SteriTite container and MediTray components to organize and protect your surgical devices. Case Medical wants to share our knowledge and experience.

Try our Case Soil Indicator to see if any residual soil remains after routine processing in your automated washer or sonic after cleaning and rinsing. Try another experiment using a variety of cleaning agents to determine what works best...your current cleaner, a sample provided by a vendor, or ours. It’s easy. Apply the cleaner directly to the Case Soil indicator at center point of coupon. The Case Soil indicator is composed of a wide variety of representative soils. Wait a minute or two. The coupon may look clear, but with a drop or two of Case Medical’s protein detector you’ll know for sure if any of the non-visible nasties remain. Want to check your anodized aluminum container for surface degradation? Take a Sharpie marker and write the word “TEST” on the surface of the container. With a lint free cloth and Case Solutions Ink & Adhesive Remover, try to wipe off the mark. If there is any residue or even a lingering shadow of the word “TEST” then indeed the surface of the container is compromised and should be replaced. If the pores of the aluminum can retain marker ink, what other microscopic bad guys might it retain?

We know that you are busy and may not have the time to join a live presentation or even attend a chapter meeting on a regular basis. We have your back! Sign up for Case Academy it’s available 24/7. Case Medical is committed to developing and implementing relevant educational programs for today’s rapidly changing and evolving healthcare environment.  Case Medical will be uploading some of your favorite educational programs and videos on our website so you can attend and gain CE units at your convenience. Thank you for your enthusiastic response to the videos we shared with you in Nashville. Whether you enjoyed the unseen microscopic world all around us or how we manufacture our products in New Jersey, we’re posting them to our website along with others for you to watch. So, look for them in the coming days.

Visit us at www.casemed.com to learn more about our products and services, how they can help your facility lighten its impact on the environment, contribute to best practices at a significant savings. Look for the Safer Choice label on your cleaning chemistries.