The legislation sets out that only a registered pharmacist who has received a certificate confirming that they have completed the mandatory training accredited by PSI, can supply and administer vaccines (and epinephrine for the treatment of anaphylaxis) to their patients.
Five training programmes need to be completed in order for a registered pharmacist to deliver influenza vaccination services. However, two of these programmes may be completed by a student prior to registration. Details of the training requirements are explained on the
PSI website.
If you are a 5th year pharmacy student, you can complete the Parenteral Administration of Medicines Training Course (PAMT), which is accredited by the PSI and available through Hibernian Healthcare prior to registration with the PSI. Contact Hibernian Healthcare by
e-mail and they will set up an account to allow you to book a training course. Hibernian Healthcare will provide certification regarding completion of the course once you have supplied evidence of registration with the PSI.
Training in CPR (adults and children) can also be completed in advance of registering with the PSI.
In addition and in order to provide a vaccination service, there are three remaining mandatory online training programmes which must be completed and can be accessed through the
Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) website once you are registered with PSI (you must have a PSI registration number to login to the IIOP website).
When all the relevant training courses have been completed and you are registered with the PSI you can take part in a vaccination service.