About Us
Terry McAuley, founder of STEAM Consulting is a passionate advocate for the achievement of best practice in reprocessing reusable medical devices and infection prevention and control. She represented ACIPC on the Standards Australia Committee HE-023 responsible for AS/NZS4187 and AS/NZS4815 (now AS5369) for more than 20 years and has authored the AusHFG HPU for Sterilizing and Endoscope Reprocessing Units, IPC Guidelines for podiatrists, and Chapter 16 Disinfection and Sterilisation in the Australian textbook Healthcare Associated Infections in Australia: Principles and Practice of Infection Prevention and Control.
Terry McAuley
​Terry McAuley, founder of STEAM Consulting Pty Ltd, established the business in the early 1990s, driven by her recognition of a critical need for education and consultancy services in relation to the principles underpinning safe and effective reprocessing of reusable medical devices, coining the acronym STEAM: Sterilisation Training Education And Management for the name of her consultancy services business.
Effective management of a reprocessing facility requires technical expertise in reprocessing procedures, spanning physics, chemistry, biology, microbiology, and engineering, as well as an appreciation of advanced logistics and management skills required to deliver a complex service.
Prior to starting STEAM Consulting, Terry worked as an Associate Nurse Unit Manager in the Operating Unit of a large public hospital. During a time when persistent problems were being experienced with CSSD (Central Sterile Supply Department), Terry was asked to undertake a project to identify the root causes contributing to the issues being experienced and to implement the necessary strategies that would address them. During the project, Terry was integral to the development and implementation of many operational efficiencies that improved the quality and safety of the CSSD services.
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When the Nurse Unit Manager role in CSSD was advertised, Terry saw the opportunity to continue the work started as part of the project and her application for the role was successful. Her work as the CSSD NUM commenced, and about 12 months later, the standard known as AS4187 for reprocessing of reusable medical devices (RMDs), was introduced. Terry was responsible for implementing the requirements of AS4187 in the 2 CSSDs she managed within her hospital network, as well as undertaking a network-wide gap analysis for compliance with AS4187:1994, now AS5369:2023.
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To support the delivery of professional consultancy services, Terry has qualifications in perioperative nursing, infection prevention and control, quality management, adult education and training, workplace assessment and training and a Master of Science in Medical Device Decontamination. With extensive experience visiting hundreds of sterilising departments across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Scandinavia, Europe (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium), and the United Kingdom, she has gained unparalleled insights into diverse reprocessing facility designs and operational practices.
Terry’s deep knowledge of Australian and international standards, coupled with her prestigious certifications in infection prevention and control, enables her to deliver specialised consultancy and education services.
Terry empowers organisations to achieve compliance with standards and enhance patient safety. Her commitment to excellence continues to drive STEAM Consulting’s mission to advance infection prevention and control and medical device reprocessing standards globally.
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Terry is a member of AAHP, ACIPC, ACORN, Day Hospitals Australia, GENCA and SRACA.