Healthcare Environmental Services Career

ByJohn Weir

A career in Healthcare Environmental Services is more than a job—it is a calling to make a meaningful impact on patient care, safety, and the overall healthcare system. With strong demand, opportunities for growth, and the chance to work in a role that directly supports life-saving efforts, EVS offers a compelling career path for individuals who value service, diligence, and making a difference.

By choosing a career in EVS, you are stepping into a role where your contributions are essential, appreciated, and impactful. Whether you aspire to advance within the field, gain a foothold in healthcare, or simply seek a career with purpose, Healthcare Environmental Services is a fulfilling and promising choice.

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Huddle Suggestions

ByJohn Weir

I wanted to try a new approach with the staff so I shared with them the following in our morning huddle today:   Question: What is the first thing that we notice when we enter a hotel room that we have paid for?   Answer: We notice if it is clean and smells fresh. (…

Happy Environmental Services Week

ByJohn Weir

  Happy Environmental Services and Housekeeping week to all the very hard service workers in our industry. In a department comparison test we: Serve more people on a daily basis Save more lives through infection control Clean up the health care environment than any other Talk with more patients each day Handle hundreds more pounds…

Training Staff Part 1

ByJohn Weir

The goal of any Environmental Services Department within a healthcare facility should be to prevent the spread of infectious agents among patients and healthcare workers by meticulous cleaning and appropriate disinfection of environmental surfaces. To reach this goal, the EVS department will need to have a comprehensive training program, the objective of which should be…

BED BUGS

ByJohn Weir

Don’t start itching, and then check underneath your bed! You see it seems that bedbugs, also known as Cimex Lectularius are showing up in many places. The bloodsucking bugs were virtually eradicated in the United States in the 1950s. But they are now showing up practically everywhere, nursing homes, jails, apartment buildings, dormitories, even hospitals….

Goals and Major Objectives

ByJohn Weir

I wrote about goals a few days ago and one question I received was “what are your department goals for this year? That is a great question because I make it a practice to write out what I call major objectives for the new year each December. These are sort of mid-range goals, not short…

Healthcare Reform and Environmental Services

ByJohn Weir

As part of the proposed changes to healthcare, reimbursement for hospital care and post-acute care will be bundled; patient readmission’s will be at a lower rate in some cases; hospital reimbursement and performance will be directly linked; and physician self-referral will be more closely regulated. Out of those four important items, environmental services has a…

Clostridium difficile Infection (C. diff, CDI, C. difficile)

ByJohn Weir

What is Clostridium difficile? Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming, gram-positive anaerobic bacillus that produces two exotoxins: toxin A and toxin B. It is a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). It accounts for 15-25% of all episodes of AAD. Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that may develop due to the prolonged use of antibiotics during…

Healthcare Cleaning

ByJohn Weir

The major difference between cleaning a medical facility and any other building is the focus on the un-seen enemy, bacteria. Environmental Service’s job is to not only provide good visible results, but to reduce the number of surface bacteria to a safe level in order to control cross infection. This is an extremely important responsibility…

Infection Control Training for Healthcare Environmental Services

ByJohn Weir

Highlighting common scenarios from hand hygiene and glove use to properly cleaning patient rooms, this video will illustrate the type of precautions that housekeeping staff should take to protect themselves and patients from germs and infections that could make them sick.

Following The Six Aims

ByJohn Weir

Following the ‘Six Aims’ By Tina L. Cermignano, CHESP There has been a lot of media attention about the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report “To Err is Human,” especially over outbreaks of community-based Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, we should concentrate on the second report from the IOM, “Crossing the Quality Chasm,” which provides a…

Cleaning is the Foundation of a Healthy Environment

ByJohn Weir

We know that our primary purpose is cleaning. We train our staff to recognize dirt and soil in so many forms and to remove it. We educate, coach and celebrate our successes. We also know that good strategies for combating infection and cross contamination include things such as hand washing and personal protective equipment. In…