Evaluation of a vaccination training program for pharmacy graduands in Australia

The University of Sydney School of Pharmacy offered provisionally registered pharmacy graduands the opportunity to complete the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) vaccination training course. This study evaluated participant perceptions of the vaccination training course and their experiences in administering the vaccines.

Graduands' perceived knowledge of influenza vaccinations and skills and confidence in administering vaccinations were assessed using anonymous, 17-item, pre- and post-course surveys (5-point Likert items, 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Pre-course completion was 68% (63 of 92 participants) and post-course completion was 62% (57 of 92 participants). Follow-up interviews with 18 participants provided an understanding of vaccination experiences and opinions of the quality and timing of the course in terms of preparing them to confidently administer influenza vaccines in a community pharmacy setting.

The course resulted in significant increases in the graduands' perceived knowledge of influenza vaccinations (24.4% increase, p < 0.001), skills in managing patients receiving influenza vaccines (27.1% increase, p < 0.001), and confidence level to administer influenza vaccines (80.7% increase, p < 0.001). Telephone interviews confirmed the survey results and showed that 55% of participants administered influenza vaccines during their intern year, with the majority (63%) of participants believing that the best time to complete the training course was shortly before commencing vaccinations.

The PGA vaccination training course significantly improved graduands' confidence, skill, and knowledge of influenza vaccination. However, the amount of time between completing the training course and first vaccination can affect confidence to administer vaccines.