CHL case studies

CHL · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The CHL is a Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) certification aimed at sterile processing (SP) professionals moving into leadership and management roles rather than frontline technician practice. HSPA describes the certification landscape in the context of a profession responsible for cleaning, decontaminating, sterilizing, and distributing medical and surgical instrumentation, and it positions certification and continuing education as core offerings for the more than 61,000 members and certification holders it serves worldwide. The CHL case studies are 5 cases and about 5,289 words.

Two Charge Nurses, One Vacancy Problem, and a Hospitalist Complaint

You are six weeks into your first director role on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit in a 210-bed community hospital. The unit carries 14 open RN positions, agency staff cover 22% of worked hours, and overtime is running 9% over budget.

1,042 words, about 5 min 2

A 60 Percent Cut to a Respiratory Therapy Education Budget

You manage a 12-therapist respiratory care department in a 180-bed hospital. Corporate has cut your education budget from 38,000 to 15,000 dollars for the fiscal year.

1,083 words, about 5 min 3

One CT Scanner Down for Three Weeks

You manage a hospital-based outpatient imaging center with two CT scanners, 11 technologists, and roughly 42,000 scans a year across about 250 operating days. One scanner's tube failed, and the replacement part is back-ordered for three weeks.

1,007 words, about 5 min 4

Mock Survey Findings and a Backfilled Temperature Log

You are the quality and compliance manager at a 120-bed critical access hospital. A mock survey 12 days ago produced five findings: refrigerator temperature logs missing on 11 of the last 30 days in the medication room; four boxes of expired glucose test strips in a supply drawer; a broken crash cart seal with no check documentation for 48 hours; three RNs without current competency validation on the new IV pump; and an obsolete version of the heparin policy still in use on one unit.

1,065 words, about 5 min 5

An 88 Percent Sepsis Score Built on Shifted Time Zero

You chair the hospital's sepsis performance improvement team. The board dashboard shows sepsis bundle compliance rising from 55 to 88 percent over six months, and the CNO is presenting that figure to the board next week.

1,092 words, about 5 min