Tips from a tech for a better flu season

It’s about to happen (or already has). In only a matter of days, or possibly even hours, pharmacies will start receiving shipments of the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Are you ready for the storm of vaccine seekers? I can honestly say that I. Am. Not. There are several reasons why I am not looking forward to the upcoming injection season. For starters, the increased workload is not an alternative to my regular tasks and duties, it is in addition to them. In previous years I have found that the demand for vaccines has competed with my ability to carry out other responsibilities and I spend the entire flu season in a fast paced frenzy just trying to keep my head above water. With only one other full time employee, I struggle to keep up with our regular work load. Another reason injections are not something I enjoy is because despite having administered well over 100 vaccines in the past few years, I still question my skill and technique with each and every single one. Read: Helping close the vaccination gapLogically, I know what I’m doing and how to do it, but I still worry that I will hurt the patient or even worse, make them bleed. I realize that this is something that occasionally happens with injections, no matter who is performing them, but something about it still makes me hesitant. Since I am confident in my ability with all other aspects of my job, the feeling of uncertainty is unfamiliar and makes this my least favourite task. Vaccination season is not an optional event at my pharmacy, and likely, most of you are in a similar situation. Hopefully the following tips assist your team in making things run a little smoother. Implementing a few of these suggestions to streamline your vaccination workflow could help decrease the risk of errors and improve the upcoming flu season. Only offer one vaccine per day. Select specific days of the week to administer each vaccine. For example, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Pfizer and Thursdays and Fridays for Moderna, or vice versa. (In my experience, offering Moderna on Fridays is ideal, as parents who are looking to have their children vaccinated tend to prefer to do so before the weekend.)Allow vaccine appointment bookings no earlier than 1 hour after opening. Giving staff the opportunity to complete their opening duties will prevent the likelihood of forgetting to do something that a ‘5-minutes-after-opening’ vaccine appointment may detract from. Process all the vaccines in your pharmacy software ahead of time. Blocking off a specific time slot for staff lunches or to catch up on work is ideal, so keep that in mind when planning your workflow. My pharmacy blocks off 12 pm to 1 pm daily, so appointments booked between 10 am and 12 pm are processed first thing in the morning and appointments from 1 pm to 5 pm are attended to during the one hour block midday. Decide how you and your staff will handle walks-in vaccinations. I’ve worked in pharmacies that don’t allow them at all, as well as ones that take anyone and everyone who walks in. As long as the whole team is on the same page with this it should assist in the planning process. Prepare your vaccine emergency kit before you even receive any products. This will take care of one step ahead of time. Ensure that all staff know how to access Covaxon (if applicable), how and when to record doses and the standard procedures for all vaccination related events. Most importantly, keep in mind that you are providing a free service to people by offering flu shots and COVID vaccines. Vaccinations do not take precedence over regular patient care. Regardless of how unpleasant or impatient people may act, they are grateful for how we are contributing to their health goals. They will wait for you to finish sorting out an issue with an insurance provider, count out 21 amoxicillin or demonstrate an aerochamber to the parent of a small child. Don’t let the pressure to rush through things detract from your duties as a pharmacy professional. Take a deep breath, smile and don’t ever forget that you are making a difference to those around you. Happy Flu Season to All!Read: Meet the Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada: Helping empower Black pharmacy professionals

Tips from a tech for a better flu season

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Blog Author

ALICIA LEVMAN

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