Incorporating an Immunization Certificate Program into the Pharmacy Curriculum

Abstract

Objective. To describe the method of incorporating an immunization certificate training program, such as the American Pharmacists Association's (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery into a pharmacy curriculum. Design. The program was delivered over 3 weeks in the spring semester of the third professional year (P3) as part of a required Pharmacy Care Lab sequence. Assessment. Student response surveys and faculty input were used to evaluate the placement of the program in the curriculum. Conclusion. Optional comments yielded more than 44% of students providing positive open-ended feedback regarding the course while almost 10% felt the course should not be mandated in the curriculum.

The impact of an immunization training certificate program on the perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes of pharmacy students toward pharmacy-based immunizations

“…The program was delivered over 3 weeks in the spring semester of the third professional year (P3) as part of a required Pharmacy Care Lab sequence. The study found that more than 44% of students provided positive feedback regarding the course with about 10% reporting that the course should not be mandated in the curriculum 5. This study is limited by the fact that it was completely qualitative in nature and did not extensively evaluate the program.…”

Immunization Training: Right or Privilege?

“…The first formal national training and certificate program aimed at pharmacists was introduced by the American Pharmacists Association in 1996 and was quickly adopted as a curricular model and component by many colleges and schools. [1][2][3] The 1990s also saw extensive changes to many pharmacy practice acts, expanding the pharmacists' scope of practice to include the administration of immunizations. By 2004, forty-three states recognized pharmacists as immunizers, and now all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have authorized such privileges.…”

Four Rights of the Pharmacy Educational Consumer

“…A contemporary example of this disconnect might have been evident in the late 1990s when smaller numbers of colleges and schools first began formally incorporating training regarding the delivery of pharmacy-based immunizations. 21,22 At the time, very few state boards of pharmacy had modernized practice acts in order to allow pharmacists to actually administer vaccines, and even fewer pharmacies and pharmacy corporations expressed interest in this clinical service. It was difficult for many to envision the current scope of pharmacy-based immunization services in the United States, with every state now granting pharmacists the privilege of administering immunizations.…”