Training for COVID-19 vaccine providers

Training and workforce

Victoria is committed to working with the Australian Government to support the delivery of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. Additional workforce capacity is needed due to the significant effort involved in offering vaccination to all eligible Victorians in 2021. This will ensure existing programs can be maintained, including flu vaccination, during the rollout.

To ensure safe delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, training is available for:

• existing authorised immunisers
• health workers who do not usually deliver immunisations (new immunisers).

Training is also available for non-clinical staff to support the immunisation rollout.

This emergency workforce trained and authorised to administer COVID-19 vaccines will help support our health services to offer vaccination to every eligible Victorian.

Training

All COVID-19 vaccine providers, including existing authorised immunisers, need to undertake training specific to COVID-19 vaccines.

Training for existing authorised immunisers

All existing authorised immunisers who would like to join the COVID-19 vaccination program need to complete the Australian Government’s National COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program.

This includes:

• medical practitioners
• nurse practitioners  
• nurse immunisers  
• pharmacist immunisers.

The Victorian Department of Health has released a new COVID-19 AstraZeneca supplementary training package. This training provides immunisers with information about the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommendation that Pfizer vaccine is the preferred COVID-19 vaccine for people aged under 60 years of age.

• Existing authorised immunisers are strongly recommended to complete the new training package.
• This training package is available to and may be completed by immunisation staff for non-state vaccination services in Victoria at their sole discretion.

Training for new immunisers

Additional training is required for other health workers who would like to join Australia’s& COVID-19 vaccination program as part of the new emergency authorised workforce.

This includes:

• Aboriginal health practitioners
• pharmacists
• pharmacy technicians
• registered nurses
• midwives
• paramedics
• Medical, midwifery, nursing and paramedicine students conditions apply – refer to the Victorian COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines for further information).

New immunisers need to complete the:

• Victorian COVID-19 e-Learning Competency training package and practical immuniser simulation
• National COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program
• Victorian COVID-19 Vaccine clinical skills & competency assessment – a one-off assessment to ensure new immunisers are clinically skilled by completing at least five supervised vaccinations and are competent to possess, prepare and/or administer COVID-19 vaccines.
• New Victorian COVID-19 AstraZeneca supplementary training package.
  • The new COVID-19 AstraZeneca supplementary training package provides immunisers with information about the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommendation that Pfizer vaccine is the preferred COVID-19 vaccine for people aged under 60 years.
  • The training package can be accessed on the MVEC website.
  • This training is mandatory to complete for all individuals in the emergency authorised workforce

Register your interest to become a COVID-19 vaccine provider

The Victorian Department of Health has partnered with Torrens Health to facilitate recruiting new immunisers.

Training for non-clinical staff

It is recommended that non-clinical staff (such as administrative staff or people involved in the receipt and handling of the vaccine) complete the three non-clinical modules of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program.

Resources

• The latest information about the vaccine can be found at COVID-19 vaccine
• The Australian Government has a COVID-19 vaccine hub that is updated regularly
• General information about immunisation on the Better Health Channel
• Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre
• Read more information for COVID-19 vaccine providers on the Australian Department of Health website.
• Australian Government Department of Health collection of resources for COVID-19 vaccine providers - including factsheets and guides
• ATAGI clinical advice for health care providers on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia
• Australian Department of Health information on the AstraZeneca vaccine
• Australian Department of Health information on the Pfizer vaccine
• Australian Government Department of Health Phase 1A of COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy - Privacy Impact Assessment: Summary report and the Agency response