Healthcare workers need training on the COVID-19 vaccination program.

By: Dr. Anthony Salandy

Date: 4th October 2020

Key Points

• Adequate staff with specialized expertise is required along with adequate backup.
• Healthcare professionals are the most trusted source of information for individuals when it comes to vaccines.
• Capacity to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine needs to be in place now.

 

Capacity can be conceptualized in terms of the ability to provide resources to carry out the intended activity – in this case it is the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, what needs to be in place before jurisdictions begin distributing the COVID-19 vaccine?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention Regional Technical Assistance Team will assist jurisdictional planning of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

Jurisdictions and tribal organizations should regularly monitor their resources to avoid unexpected obstacles to the progress of their COVID-19 Vaccination Programs.

Adequate trained staff: Having enough adequately trained staff with current situational awareness is key to a successful COVID19 Vaccination Program. Staff with specialized expertise is required along with adequate backup to guard against to guard against interruption of activities because of illness or other personal situations. Training staff is vital to success.

Research shows that healthcare professionals are the most trusted source of information for individuals when it comes to vaccines. Nurses and medical assistants have a key role to play in improving vaccine acceptance, decreasing vaccine hesitancy, and fostering a culture of immunization in the practice as they are in contact with patients throughout the office visit or at mobile vaccine clinics.

Training objectives for healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses, pharmacist, medical assistants) should include:

 

• Being able to describe the burden of COVID-19 disease and the benefits of vaccination.

 

• Delivering clear and concise COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for all patients, including flu vaccine during flu season.

 

• Demonstration of strategies to improve competence of healthcare professionals around addressing patients concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, including how to handle conversations during outbreaks.

 

• Demonstrate knowledge of resources to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine conversations with individuals.

 

• Demonstrate proper administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

• Demonstrate knowledge for accurate data collection and analysis of the COVID-19 vaccination program.