Published:
April 28, 2021

Open access to online COVID-19 vaccine courses now available

We are pleased to share that access to our online COVID-19 vaccine courses is now open and free, without the need for a user to first enter a package code.

Cartoon image of a man showing his arm where he received a vaccination

We are pleased to share that access to our online COVID-19 vaccine courses is now open and free, without the need for a user to first enter a package code.

Any health professional can register via our courses and events page (IMAC Covid-19 Courses) to access Covid-19 vaccine courses for free, keeping in mind that this education is in addition to provisional or full vaccinator education required for authorisation to vaccinate.

Who should access the COVID-19 vaccine courses?

Provisional and authorised vaccinators

Open access primarily benefits provisional and authorised vaccinators, who can now freely complete the training at any time without waiting for their employer to nominate them for training.

Health Professionals with prescribing rights

There is a specific course available for GPs, medical specialists and nurse practitioners that aims to provide you with confidence in their knowledge of the Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine, and the ability to answer common concerns and questions raised by patients. For those with prescribing rights who intend to vaccinate, please ensure you have followed the information relating to vaccine preparation and administration. Access to this course is also now freely available through IMAC Learning.

Upon registering for health professional training, you will be required to acknowledge that:

  • You are a Health Professional and have a current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC), and APC number.
  • You are a fully authorised vaccinator or provisionally authorised vaccinator, OR have prescribing rights through your professional registration. Please note working as a vaccinator under standing orders is not a sufficient prerequisite.
  • You agree to your LMS account, contact details and course status being shared with DHBs looking to recruit health workforce, as well as your data being used anonymously in MoH and DHB reporting.
  • Completing the course does not give you the authority to vaccinate. Authority is provided by provisional authorisation through the Immunisation Advisory Centre on behalf of the Ministry of Health, or by full authorisation through a Medical Officer of Health.
  • There is no guarantee of employment based upon the completion of this course.

Non vaccinators and Covid-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) administrators

For those accessing non-vaccinator training (eg CIR Administrators to complete the CIR Administrator course), you will be required to acknowledge that:

  • You agree to your LMS account, contact details and course status being shared with DHBs looking to recruit health workforce, as well as your data being used anonymously in MoH and DHB reporting.
  • Completing the course does not give you authority to vaccinate.
  • There is no guarantee of employment based upon the completion of this course.

How is course completion verified by my employer?

Currently IMAC generates daily reports sent to Workforce Leads, listing all Learners that have started or completed a Vaccinator or CIR Administrator course. Workforce Leads in DHBs or Health Organisations can use these reports to help identify who in their workforce is ready to prepare for deployment to a vaccination clinic.

Workforce Leads are then responsible for facilitating access to the CIR practice environment upon your completion of the online course, which should happen the day before a vaccinator or CIR administrator starts working at a COVID-19 vaccination site.

Computer requirements to access the online courses

  • Device: Please use a desktop computer or laptop. Phones and tablets are not recommended.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Fire Fox is required, Microsoft’s Edge might work. Apple’s Safari browser, Internet Explorer or older versions of recommended browsers are not supported.

CIR access and support

Any questions about CIR Classroom access, and CIR onboarding or access should be sent to help@c-19imms.min.health.nz or phone 0800 223 987