November 9, 2009

State taps Hopkins Nursing to teach vaccination skills

This flu season, anxiety about the H1N1 virus will likely increase the number of state residents seeking vaccinations. To assist nurses desirous of participating as H1N1 vaccinators, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene requested that an intramuscular refresher training program be developed. The Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing was chosen as the entity to design and implement the program, funded by a grant.

The program, put together by the School of Nursing and the Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing, consists of a self-paced online continuing education activity that illustrates the skills of vaccine administration and child restraint, and a skill competency program provided in four-hour “train the trainer” sessions. Online training went live on Sept. 29 and will be available on the IJHN Web site for two years. The “train-the-trainer” sessions were held Oct. 1 and 2.