Vaccinating Health Worker: Stage 1 - Core

The Vaccinating Health Worker: Stage 1 - Core is designed as an introduction to immunisation for individuals who wish to go on and become an authorised Vaccinating Health Worker: Stage 1. Completing this course will provide you with the required background knowledge to move into the specific vaccine related courses needed to become an authorised VHW Stage 1.

On completion of this course, you must also compete additional training, which is organised by your employer. Required training:

1. CPR course (Basic Life Support).  

2. IMAC VHW Stage 1 vaccine-specific courses.

3. IMAC VHW Stage 1 practical workshop – to practice injection technique and other important skills.  

It is strongly recommended that you have completed the CPR course before attending the IMAC practical workshop.

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VHW Stage 1 - Core will allow you to:

• Move on to the VHW Stage 1 - vaccine specific courses and further training organised by your employer, essential steps in becoming an Authorised VHW Stage 1.

Prerequisites

You will already be working or interested in working in the health sector – for example, as a pharmacy technician, kaiāwhina, community health worker or healthcare assistant. Alternatively, you may have been trained as a health professional in New Zealand or overseas but you do not currently holding a NZ practising certificate.

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Next steps: complete the online learning

This online learning is just the first step in becoming an authorised VHW Stage 1. Following completion of this online learning you will need to do at least one vaccine specific module; Vaccinating Health Worker: Stage 1 - Comirnaty (ages 12+ yrs) & influenza vaccine and/or Vaccinating Health Worker: Stage 1 - HPV9 & Tdap. Pease have your employer contact IMAC to progress this once you have done the core course.

Course content

This course will provide theory on:

1. Introduction to immunisation
2. Importance of immunisation and how vaccines work
3. Cultural engagement and communication in a vaccination context
4. Practical aspects of giving vaccines
5. Post-vaccination observation
6. Cold chain

Assessment

At the end of the theory lesson, you will complete a multiple choice assessment.

• There are 20 questions, and you must get 16 correct to pass.
• If you don't pass the first time, you can try two more times.
• If you don't pass after the third try, please email us using this link.   

Feedback

After completing the assessment we'd really appreciate it if you can give us some feedback. This helps us improve the course for others.

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For more information

Te Whatu Ora VHW Capability Matrix (version 2, 12 August 2022)

Te Whatu Ora VHW Information Sheets for Employers, Clinical Supervisors and VHWs.

Manatū Hauora VHW information on their website

For questions on the authorisation process, please email vaccinatorauthorisations@health.govt.nz.

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Contacts for registration and training support  

For general course registration questions, please email: edcovid@auckland.ac.nz.

For other training and onboarding support questions, please email the local IMAC clinical staff.

Northern Region

Sandra Prinsloo, Immunisation Education Facilitator
sandra.prinsloo@auckland.ac.nz

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Midlands Region

Chantel Punter, Immunisation Education Facilitator
chantel.punter@auckland.ac.nz

Central Region

Diane McIrvine, Immunisation Education Facilitator
diane.mcirvine@auckland.ac.nz

Southern Region

Karen Cague, Immunisation Education Facilitator
karen.cague@auckland.ac.nz

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