Immunizer Education

The education plan for immunizers is designed to ensure that you have the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies for safe, effective immunization practice.

All self-directed education is available in this Immunizer Education online resource. Self-directed education can be completed at home on a personal computer or device. 

Education is designed to support the learning needs of health care providers who will be providing vaccinations in Nova Scotia facilities and includes:

• Care directives and policies that guide immunization practice at Nova Scotia Health for all health care providers
• Theory and practice education required for immunization competency

As part of the initial immunization competency process, the Immunizer must demonstrate proficiency in the clinical skill in the practice setting by using the skills checklists below in collaboration with their preceptor or educator.

Immunizers who do have prior experience in immunization, but do not have current competency (e.g. more than 2 years since immunized), must also complete the course.

The completed checklist must be submitted by the Immunizer to clinical leadership (e.g. Health Services Manager) prior to independent practice.

Nursing, medical, and pharmacy students must also complete the Nova Scotia Health Immunization Course, demonstrate competency, and be supervised by another health care provider competent in immunization practice.

NOTE Health care providers working in Public Health, Primary Health Care/Family Practice, and Occupational Health are required to take a more extensive immunization course and must speak to their clinical leadership or health services manager for access. For details, see page 5 of the Immunization Policy & Procedure PH-HP-015.

Nova Scotia Health Immunization Course

This course is offered via the Nova Scotia Health Provincial Learning Management System (LMS). It will take approximately 120 minutes to complete. 

Upon successful completion of this continuing education program, participants will be able to: 

• Provide education and assessment for recommended immunizations
• Provide safe and competent practices for recommended immunizations  

The following modules are the core components of the course: 

1. Immunology and vaccinology
2. Assessment and preparation of the client for immunization
3. Immunization administration techniques
4. Adverse events
5. Safe handling of vaccines

Informed consent is an essential pre-condition to providing immunization. It is the professional and legal responsibility of the provider to obtain informed consent prior to immunization. The intent of the informed consent standard of practice is to achieve a more client-centered [and] consistent... approach.

The following list has been developed to help ensure that immunizers achieve informed consent with each client:

For Use by Immunizers to Guide Informed Consent

1. Determine who will give informed consent – Self, Parents/Guardians, Substitute Decision Maker
2. Provide standard information, such as, risks, benefits, side effects, eligibility, common and expected adverse events, possible serious side effects and adverse events, contraindications, disease(s) being prevented, management of anaphylaxis
3. Confirm understanding of standard information
4. Confirm consent with client and/or parent/guardian
5. Provide opportunity for questions
6. Confirm consent
7. Document consent or refusal

For additional information regarding determining capacity to provide consent and requirements of informed consent please visit the Canadian Nurses Protective Society resource page.

Please review the following links:

Vaccine providers contribute to vaccine safety by reporting AEFI which allows further investigation of adverse events, but does not mean that an observed event was caused by either vaccine or immunization. It is important that all serious AEFI are reported without delay. It is also important to report unexpected AEFI. Expected common events such as vaccination site reactions or fever do not need to be reported.

Please review the following in regards to AEFI reporting:

Successful immunization programs for vaccine products are dependent upon proper handling, storage and rigorous cold chain management. Vaccines are sensitive biological products that may be less effective when exposed to temperatures outside of the recommended cold chain storage requirements.

Every cold chain excursion involving vaccine products must be investigated in order to obtain sufficient information about the circumstances under which the temperature excursion occurred by assessing the duration and temperature of the excursion. The provincial bio-depot Pharmacy Practicing Assistant and/or the biological depot Immunization Coordinator will follow up with the manufacturer’s Medical Information Specialist and/or Quality Assurance to determine vaccine stability, viable or non-usable.

CANImmunize is an online tool that is used nationally to support publicly funded vaccinations by providing access to online booking and screening, and electronic documentation. It is the preferred method for patient immunization documentation.

Regulated health care providers who administer vaccinations will use CANImmunize on a Nova Scotia Health-issued tablet (e.g. iPad) or Smartphone to document care provided and to validate informed consent as well as current health status.

• Patients can digitally book appointments, complete COVID-19 screening and provide digital consent for immunization prior to vaccination.
• Vaccine administrators digitally document vaccination details (e.g. vaccine product, lot number, etc.) at the time of vaccination.
• After immunization, patients receive a digital immunization receipt and can upload it directly into their free CANImmunize record.
• Organization receives patient data with consent, as applicable.

Please review these resources:

Contingency Plan (when CANImmunize is Inaccessible)

Should CANImmunize access be interrupted at any stage, staff will:

• First attempt to connect to the system and check with other team members to see if they are experiencing the same.
• Revert to paper-based documentation, if determined that CANImmunize is inaccessible. This includes:
  • Complete consent form.
  • When clinical notes or other additional documentation is required, it should be documented on a Public Health Progress Record or Nova Scotia Health progress note found in the Electronic Form Repository.
• All information will be entered into CANImmunize as soon as possible following any downtime event.
• Zones will be accountable to allot the resources required for public health data entry to occur within the timeframe required.

For inpatient units where CANImmunize is not accessible to staff, please document information on the Public Health Vaccine Line List and submit to Public Health as appropriate.