Tareas de asistente médico: Autoclave
Tareas de asistente médico: Autoclave
In hospitals and other medical settings, infection control is a top priority. Infections are caused by microorganisms that are so small they can’t be seen by the naked eye. To prevent infection, all tools and medical equipment must be properly sterilized. One of the most important duties that medical assistants perform is using an autoclave to sterilize medical devices properly.
What is an Autoclave?
An autoclave is a device that sterilizes objects using high-pressure steam and/or inert gases to kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. It can clean objects very quickly, not only reducing the presence of microorganisms, but also killing the spores that many of them use to reproduce. This is vital for infection prevention.
How Do Autoclaves Work?
Autoclaves work by using highly pressurized steam or inert gases to eliminate pathogens. The pressurization element is important because merely using hot water isn’t enough to ensure that the objects are properly cleaned.
Water boils at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This is hot enough to kill a lot of microorganisms, but not all of them. When water vapor is pressurized, it can reach much higher temperatures, thereby killing almost all microorganisms and ensuring the medical instruments and devices are properly cleaned.
Autoclaving is one of the skills you might learn at medical assisting school. It’s a critical task, and one that’s carried out multiple times per day in busy clinical settings.
In addition to using the autoclave to sterilize instruments, medical assistants might also be called upon to:
- Calibrate and configure autoclaves
- Carry out maintenance
- Inspect the autoclave to ensure it’s properly sealed and safe to use
- Test the autoclave to ensure it’s reaching a high-enough temperature
- Maintain quality control logs
Autoclaves are just one piece of medical equipment that medical assistants might be responsible for. On a daily basis, a medical assistant might inspect, maintain and keep records about numerous pieces of equipment.
Attention to detail is critical in this job. If anything is overlooked, it could put patient safety at risk, as well as the safety of the medical staff who are operating devices that reach high temperatures and operate under high pressure.
Cómo convertirse en asistente médico
Medical assistants are required to have thorough knowledge of autoclaves and other equipment, as well as the procedures and processes used in a clinical setting. To learn these skills, you need to complete a mixture of academic courses and hands-on training in a supervised environment.
Once you’ve finished your training, you’ll be able to work in clinics, hospitals and other healthcare settings. The work you do will help keep patients safe and ensure other medical professions have access to the devices and equipment they need to do a good job of treating their patients.
If you’re interested in becoming a medical assistant, consider joining the PCI Medical Assistant Training program today. We can help you learn the skills required for this rewarding and engaging profession.
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