A new free course has been launched by the Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP) to help prepare pharmacy assistants to support the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in community pharmacies.
The free online course, Safe Vaccination Services in Community Pharmacy Program, has been created in collaboration with The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland Branch and offers pharmacy assistants practical strategies for managing changes to workflows and patient expectations to support pharmacists when they’re able to administer Covid-19 vaccines.
The free course is expected to cover such topics as:
- Sharps handling and disposal;
- Managing patient flow;
- Triaging patients with symptoms;
- Keeping vaccines safe;
- First aid;
- Patient monitoring.
According to the ACP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Dimitri Kopanakis, the training is set to help community pharmacies contribute significantly to the nation vaccination program with minimal disruption to normal trading, especially during the flu season.
“The College recognises that people will be looking to their local, trusted community pharmacies for reliable advice and services relating to Covid-19 vaccines, just as they have done with the flu vaccine for many years,” says Dr Kopanakis.
“This online course is specifically designed for pharmacy assistants working in retail, so they can confidently manage the extra logistics required, like infection control, queue coordination, appointments and bookings, refrigeration requirements, record-keeping and data management.”
Dr Kopanakis adds that ensuring pharmacy assistants are trained and ready to help will allow “the pharmacist immuniser can then focus on providing patients with the Covid-19 vaccine and answering their questions”.
For further information about the course, visit the ACP’s new website at: acp.edu.au
APP2021 attendees are invited to visit the ACP trade stand 363 later this week to learn more.
