Course Overview

Every surface in an exam room is a potential vehicle for disease transmission. Unlike hospitals where patients occupy dedicated rooms, outpatient facilities see multiple patients in the same exam room throughout the day—often with only minutes between appointments. This rapid turnover creates significant contamination risk. A single improperly cleaned surface can spread pathogens to dozens of patients, leading to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) that are entirely preventable.

Healthcare-associated infections affect millions of patients annually and cost billions in additional treatment. While hand hygiene is crucial, environmental surfaces play an equally important role in transmission. Studies show that pathogens like MRSA, C. difficile, norovirus, and respiratory viruses can survive on surfaces for hours to months. High-touch surfaces—exam tables, doorknobs, light switches, computer keyboards—become contaminated repeatedly throughout the day.

This essential training course prepares environmental services staff, medical assistants, nurses, and all personnel responsible for exam room cleaning to prevent infection transmission through proper environmental cleaning practices. Staff learn the critical differences between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting, select appropriate products and supplies for different situations, apply risk-based cleaning principles that focus effort where contamination risk is highest, and follow evidence-based procedures that ensure effective pathogen removal between patients. The result is safer care environments and reduced infection risk.

Build a Safer, More Compliant Workplace

What You’ll Learn

Upon completing this course, your employees will be able to:

✓ Identify characteristics of effective environmental cleaning products including EPA registration, contact time, and spectrum of activity

✓ Select appropriate supplies and equipment for different cleaning tasks and surface types

✓ Differentiate between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting and understand when each process is appropriate

✓ Apply risk-based cleaning principles that prioritize high-touch surfaces and high-risk areas

✓ Follow proper cleaning procedures including correct product dilution, contact time, and cleaning direction

✓ Implement effective cleaning sequences that prevent cross-contamination during the cleaning process

✓ Understand personal protective equipment requirements for safe handling of cleaning products and contaminated surfaces

Course Content

Lesson 1: Introduction and Objectives

Role of environmental surfaces in disease transmission, unique contamination challenges in outpatient exam rooms with rapid patient turnover, consequences of inadequate environmental cleaning, and regulatory and accreditation requirements for environmental cleaning

Lesson 2: Environmental Cleaning Products, Supplies, and Equipment

EPA-registered disinfectants and their importance, hospital-grade disinfectants vs. household cleaners, understanding product labels (kill claims, contact time, dilution), disinfectant types (quaternary ammonium, bleach-based, hydrogen peroxide), cleaning cloths and wipes (microfiber vs. disposable), mops, buckets, and other cleaning equipment, and product storage and shelf life considerations

Lesson 3: Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting

Cleaning: Physical removal of soil and organic matter (why cleaning comes first), sanitizing: Reducing microorganisms to safe levels (food contact surfaces, toys), disinfecting: Killing or inactivating specific pathogens (exam tables, equipment), understanding that disinfection requires prior cleaning for effectiveness, and selecting the right process based on the surface and contamination risk

Lesson 4: Risk-Based Environmental Cleaning Principles

High-touch vs. low-touch surface classification, patient-zone surfaces requiring cleaning between each patient (exam tables, doorknobs, light switches, sinks, keyboards), environmental surfaces requiring routine cleaning (floors, walls, ceilings), blood and body fluid contamination requiring immediate disinfection, frequency recommendations based on risk level, and focusing resources on highest-risk areas

Lesson 5: Environmental Cleaning Procedures

Proper sequence: clean to dirty, top to bottom, step-by-step exam room cleaning protocol, correct product dilution and preparation, applying sufficient product and ensuring proper contact time, avoiding cross-contamination (dedicated cloths per surface, frequent cloth changes), special considerations for porous surfaces and electronics, cleaning versus flooding surfaces, and documentation and quality assurance procedures

Who This Course Is For

🧹 Environmental Services Staff

Housekeeping personnel primarily responsible for exam room cleaning between patients

👩‍⚕️ Medical Assistants

Clinical staff who prepare exam rooms and clean surfaces between patient appointments

👨‍⚕️ Nurses & Clinical Staff

Healthcare workers who perform point-of-care cleaning or supervise environmental cleaning

📋 Infection Preventionists

Staff responsible for developing and monitoring environmental cleaning protocols

👔 Practice Managers & Administrators

Leaders accountable for compliance with environmental cleaning standards

🆕 All New Hires in Outpatient Settings

Any employee who works in clinics, medical offices, or outpatient facilities with exam rooms

Certificate & Compliance

Upon successful completion, learners receive an official certificate of completion documenting their environmental cleaning training for infection control compliance records and facility quality assurance programs.

The course includes assessments that verify understanding of cleaning product selection, risk-based cleaning principles, and proper cleaning procedures. Certificates are generated immediately and can be downloaded or printed for employee files.

Supports Compliance With:

  • CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities
  • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard cleaning requirements
  • State health department infection control regulations
  • CMS Conditions of Participation infection prevention standards
  • Accreditation requirements (Joint Commission, AAAHC, ACHC)
  • EPA regulations for disinfectant use

Choose How Your Team Learns

🖥️ Use Our LMS

Immediate access with zero setup

  • Fast & Easy Setup

  • Automatic progress tracking and reporting

  • Built-in certificate generation

  • No technical expertise required

  • Automated Course Recertification

📦 Use Your Own LMS

Purchase SCORM files for your system

  • Integrate with your existing platform

  • Maintain centralized training records

  • Compatible with all major LMS platforms

  • Full technical specifications provided

  • Dedicated support included

Why Choose Evolve?

🎯

Expert-Developed Content

Courses feature realistic scenarios, engaging multimedia, and knowledge checks to reinforce learning. Content developed by compliance experts ensures accuracy and relevance.

📱

Accessible Anywhere

Complete training anytime, anywhere on PCs, tablets, or smartphones. Your team can learn at their own pace without disrupting daily operations or scheduling conflicts.

🎬

Engaging & Effective

Scenario-based learning & interactive elements promote retention better than lecture-style courses

📊

Trackable and Reportable

Monitor completion rates, track progress, and generate compliance reports. Maintain detailed records for audits and regulatory requirements.

💰

Transparent Pricing

Simple per-seat pricing with no hidden fees, surprise charges, or mandatory bundles. Volume discounts make compliance training affordable for organizations of any size.

⚡

Easy Implementation

Begin training your team immediately – no lengthy implementation or waiting periods

📈

Scalable Solutions

Whether training 5 employees or 500, our platform scales to meet your organization’s needs. Custom course bundles available to address your specific training requirements and budget.

✓

Consistent Quality Training

Every learner receives the same high-quality, up-to-date content. Standardized training ensures your entire organization maintains consistent compliance knowledge.

💬

Ongoing Support

Dedicated customer support available to assist with questions, technical issues, or training customization needs.

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Build a Safer, More Compliant Workplace

CREATE SAFER CARE ENVIRONMENTS TODAY

Stop Infection Transmission at the Surface Level

Proper environmental cleaning is the foundation of infection prevention in outpatient settings. Give your staff the knowledge to clean exam rooms effectively, select appropriate products, and protect every patient who walks through your doors.

Trusted by medical practices, urgent care centers, outpatient clinics, and ambulatory surgery centers nationwide