Victoria’s first ever cohort of pharmacy students join COVID-19 and influenza vaccination surge workforce
Senior Lecturer and pharmacist Steven Walker demonstrating COVID-19 vaccine administration to fourth year pharmacy students.
In response to the ongoing pandemic and rapid increase of influenza cases, for the first time in Victorian history pharmacy students are being trained to administer vaccines as part of a government-driven effort to bolster the state’s immunisation program.
Under the Victorian Government’s Public Health Emergency Orders (PHEO), fourth year pharmacy students and interns can complete training to administer the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the surge student workforce to help address the public health emergency posed by the pandemic.
It was then announced on June 10 that the same cohort of students are being recruited to administer the influenza vaccine, which is currently free in Victoria due to the substantial increase in cases.
Under the current Orders, fourth year students and interns will be able to administer the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines throughout winter 2022.
Quickly after the Orders were announced, educators from Monash University launched the training program in partnership with community pharmacies across Melbourne. The program is a collaboration between the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (FPPS) and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (FMNHS).
Fourth year students and interns from Monash’s Bachelor of Pharmacy(Hons)/Master of Pharmacy program have now completed their training to administer both the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to eligible patients at community pharmacy sites, under the supervision of trained healthcare immunisers.
Monash FPPS Senior Lecturer and pharmacist Steven Walker, who is overseeing the student program, said that this opportunity not only enhances the skillset of the students, but also has the potential to provide invaluable support to community pharmacies across Victoria, along with the patients who still need to get their flu shot or are now eligible for their fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“By giving students the opportunity to join the vaccination surge workforce, not only will they be making a valuable contribution to protecting public health, they will also be easing pressure on community pharmacies who are also currently in the thick of a robust vaccine program for both COVID-19 and the flu,” said Mr Walker.
“Our hope is that this program will contribute to a body of evidence that demonstrates that pharmacy students and interns are very capable of administering vaccines and contributing to this ongoing public health need well beyond 2022.”
With the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently approving a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for eligible priority groups, along with influenza back in full force, the state’s vaccination program remains an important tool to help keep the community safe and hospital admissions under control.
Kate Russo, a registered nurse, accredited nurse immuniser with many years immunisation experience and a lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery within the FMNHS who trained pharmacy students in addition to managing training for surge workforce personnel, said that this is an important step toward equipping Victoria’s future healthcare workforce with vital immunisation skills that will help serve the community now and into the future.
“There is going to be a need for thousands of COVID-19 and influenza vaccine doses to be administered for the foreseeable future, and it is important that Victoria is prepared to protect our communities. Community pharmacies are well placed to provide this service and our students are ready and willing to obtain the necessary skills to contribute to health efforts in this space as soon as they possibly can,” said Ms Russo.
The first cohort of students completed their training on 26th May 2022, and are now contributing to Victoria’s community pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination program. Students ready to administer the influenza vaccine will commence their training soon.
The training program was also supported by Simon Furletti, Manager of Monash’s Student Experiential Placements (StEPs).
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