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Simulated workplace
Scenario · Dental Clinic

Run the reprocessing room for a day

You are a dental assistant responsible for the reprocessing room at Warners Bay for the day.

Entry3 to 4 hours8 tasks
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The situation

What has happened

Steriliser B has been out of service since load 26-0911 failed to hold temperature on 3 September, so every load must go through steriliser A and instrument turnover is tight. Four dental chairs are running a full day of examinations, restorations and two surgical extractions in surgery 3, which needs two surgical kits by 11:00 am. The Sterilisation Coordinator is chairside all day. A trainee has left a container of used instruments on the clean bench overnight. The load log shows load 26-0917 still recorded as cycle running from yesterday afternoon with no release decision recorded. The Principal Dentist wants every load traceable to the patient it is used on.

Your brief. Set up the reprocessing room correctly, resolve the two record and workflow problems you find, process the day's loads through steriliser A with complete records, release or quarantine each load correctly and keep the surgical kits available on time without cutting corners.
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Tasks

Deliverables

  • Three completed or corrected entries in the Reprocessing and Steriliser Load Log
  • Incident register entry for the clean bench near miss
  • Daily test record for steriliser A
  • Written load plan for the day
  • Short note on protective equipment and hand hygiene

Documents to use

Systems to use

Reprocessing and Steriliser Load Log

Tracks every steriliser load from packaging to release, with cycle parameters, indicator results, the operator and the release decision, so instruments can be traced to patients.

Clinical Incident and Hazard Register

Records clinical incidents, near misses, medication and specimen errors, staff injuries, privacy breaches and hazards with a severity rating, review status and actions.

Patient Records and Appointments

The appointment book and patient register for all sites, recording bookings, arrivals, clinicians, consultation type and follow-up actions.

For trainers and assessors

Units of competency

Current on training.gov.au for the Health as at 10 September 2026.

HLTSTE001Clean and disinfect reusable medical devices
HLTSTE002Inspect and pack reusable medical devices
HLTSTE003Sterilise loads
HLTINF002Process reusable medical devices and equipment
HLTDEN015Prepare for and assist with dental procedures

Qualifications

HLT35021Certificate III in Dental Assisting
HLT37015Certificate III in Sterilisation Services
Assessor notes

What to look for

Evidence guide

The student must not release load 26-0917 without evidence of the cycle parameters and indicators, and must state the quarantine rule if evidence is missing. The near miss must be reported, not just cleaned up. Load records must contain contents, operator, indicator results and a release signature. Look for the one-way workflow and protective equipment being applied and for the surgical kits being delivered by the correct process, not by shortening a cycle.

The student's evidence summary lists every record they created or changed in the systems named above, their notes and the tasks they ticked. Verify it against the deliverables and your own assessment tool.