Along with managing medication therapy and educating patients on healthy lifestyle practices, certified pharmacists can also administer critical immunizations, ensuring that any treatment received will not interfere with other therapies.
The majority of American adults are inadequately vaccinated, leading to an average of 90,000 deaths each year from vaccine-preventable infections.
As the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists can help ensure that patients are up-to-date on all their immunizations, as well as answer questions and provide necessary protection from harmful diseases.
Below are resources you need to get started for providing vaccines in your pharmacy, educating patients on immunizations, receiving training to provide immunizations and more.
Additionally, PSI Solutions offers a Collaborative Practice Agreement for Immunizations. Click here to learn more!
Fourth Annual White Paper from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and MPA
Pharmacies play an extremely important role in protecting the community against vaccine preventable diseases. The Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Division of Immunization tracked the rates of adult pharmacy immunizations, to better understand what percentage of vaccinations and the type of vaccination that were administered at the pharmacy level. This study utilized data entered into the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) over the year long period and assessed over 1,400 adult immunization doses reported to the Registry from independent, small and large chain pharmacies. This White Paper provides an opportunity to discuss the importance of MCIR for consolidation of patient immunization records as well as demonstrating the value of pharmacies in ensuring adults continue to maintain and have access to necessary vaccinations throughout the lifespan. Click here to access the full White Paper and learn more!
Additional Resources
Practice Standards For All Healthcare Professionals In 2013, the National Vaccine Advisory Council (NVAC) revised and updated the standards for Adult Immunization Practice to provide best practice recommendations for engaging all healthcare providers in assessing and providing appropriate, recommended immunizations to adult patients. Unfortunately, adult immunization rates are extremely low, and many adults are not even aware that they need vaccinations. As adults age, lifestyle and disease changes make them potentially eligible for different vaccinations over time, so it is vital that all healthcare providers--pharmacists included--follow these standards regardless of whether they actually provide immunizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has offered grants across the country to increase utilization of these standards. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was fortunate to receive one of these grants and is working diligently to educate providers about using the standards in practice. Michigan Pharmacists Association is working closely with MDHHS to provide pharmacists with information about the adults standards and the importance of incorporating them into pharmacy immunization practices.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated their immunization education materials. Utilize these documents to provide guidance to parents and guardians, school staff and pharmacy technicians and interns about the vaccines that are required for school and child care entry, as well as the importance of following the recommended immunization schedule for children and adolescents.
Links to these handouts:
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is expanding its credentialing programs by adding five assessment-based certificate programs for advanced technician roles and an advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv) credential. As a nationally-recognized leader in the development of technician training resources, the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) has developed a customized training program to help prepare pharmacy technicians for the new PCTB certificate focused on pharmacy technician immunization administration. The MPA training program, Pharmacy Technician Immunization Administration is recognized as fulfilling the education requirement for the PTCB Immunization Administration Certificate Program.
Program Description
In 2020, the United States, and most of the world, encountered first-hand the devastating effects of a pandemic. There’s no greater evidence of the value of immunizations in preventing disease and mortality. Pharmacy technicians play a vital role in aiding the pharmacist and the patient in the delivery of health care. While health care has historically focused on treating disease, our best weapon as healthcare professionals is the prevention of disease. Increasing the availability of pharmacy-based immunization services has become critical in the area of disease prevention especially to those patients who are most vulnerable. Pharmacy technicians can play a critical role to increase the accessibility of vaccine administration services. By working synergistically through team collaboration, the pharmacist and pharmacy technician can increase the capacity to immunize patients resulting in decreased healthcare costs. This four-part program consisting of required readings, video-recorded lectures, a virtual live seminar and an observed demonstration of immunization technique has been specifically designed for pharmacy technicians to provide them with a foundation of knowledge on existing vaccines and will provide pharmacy technicians with the skills training to administer immunizations.
Teaching Format
This program consists of four parts including a home study and live components. The home study component consists of Part 1: a collection of resource documents and self-study reading materials and Part 2:an online video-recorded PowerPoint lecture. The live component consists of Part 3: an interactive overview lecture including a question and answer session and Part 4: a practice demonstration exercise proctored and evaluated by a certified pharmacist immunizer who has successfully completed the American Pharmacists Association Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Training Program and is an experienced immunizer. Each participant must complete all four parts of the program, correctly answer at least 70% of each set of self-assessment questions, demonstrate successful injection techniques to a proctor, submit all required documentation, as well as earn both the home study and live PCE credit to have successfully completed this training program. Please note: MPA recommends pharmacy technicians obtain their CPR certificate before they begin administering immunizations however CPR training is not included in this course.
Upon successful completion, participants will earn six hours of home study and live continuing education credit.
For additional information about the Pharmacy Technician Advanced Training – Immunization Administration Course, go to https://www.michiganpharmacists.org/education/pharm_tech_immun.