COVID-19 Vaccine Administration

Red River College has launched a new micro-credential course to train professionals to properly administer the COVID-19 vaccine and help immunize Manitobans.

The eight-hour, tuition-free course, consisting of online theory and an in-person lab, runs throughout the fall and winter and will train qualified individuals to administer the vaccine and create immediate employment opportunities for Manitobans.

Course Information

COVID-19 vaccine course in Manitoba This micro-credential focuses on COVID-19 vaccine administration. Vaccine administration is an important part of preventing the spread and reducing the impact of COVID-19 and assists with the pandemic response. Students will become familiar with safe COVID-19 vaccine procedures through a review of the COVID-19 virus, its causative agent, immunization, related anatomy and best practices when vaccinating clients.

The course is being offered to meet the immediate need of hiring trained individuals to assist in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, playing an important part in the outbreak response. It will ensure that professionals hired to administer the COVID-19 vaccine have the opportunity to upgrade or extend their skills.

The course consists of five hours of self-paced online theory, followed by a quiz (with a passing score of 80%) and three hours of an in-person skills lab held at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus in Winnipeg and Assiniboine Community College in Brandon to demonstrate competency in performing the skills required. Skills lab dates will be assigned.

Sections are currently offered in Winnipeg and Brandon. Future sections will be offered in various locations across Manitoba.

What are Micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials are shareable endorsements of knowledge, skills or competencies gained through the successful completion of a defined course of study.

A micro-credential describes a specific competency or defined set of knowledge, skills and abilities and identifies the standard or level of proficiency required. It identifies the end result of learning or what an individual should know and be able to do to meet an established standard.

If an individual is successful in the mastery of the competency, a sharable digital badge is awarded. The digital badge is created to house details about the assessed learning or competence. The details include learning outcomes, assessment criteria, level of competence or proficiency required and verification by a subject matter expert and/or institution. These details may be viewed when the individual shares this badge with employers, on a resume, LinkedIn profile, and other social media platforms.

Student Learning and Modules

Student Learning

By the end of this course of study, you will be able to:

Describe COVID-19, its causative agent SARS-CoV-2, how it is transmitted and the most common signs and symptoms.
Explain the purpose of vaccination and proper storage and handling of vaccines.
Identify relevant landmarks and recognize and resolve issues of the deltoid and vastus lateralis for vaccine administration.
Recognize infectious disease transmission factors and public health measures that are important to consider when donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) at COVID-19 vaccine administration sites to adhere to principles of infection prevention and control.
Describe and demonstrate the procedures for proper hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) and donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE).
Identify vaccine administration equipment including parts of syringe, needle, and vial and demonstrate competent use of various types of equipment required for COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Determine appropriate volume of COVID-19 vaccine and recognize the process for drawing up COVID-19 vaccine.
Identify components necessary to set up station for COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Explain the theory and principles needed to successfully perform COVID-19 vaccine administration, according to evidence informed practices.
Indicate the importance of educating the client during the healthcare encounter about the plan of care and how to respond to adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccine.
Demonstrate accurate assessment of client and provide client education.
Demonstrate mastery of safe handling and administration of IM injection.
Demonstrate post IM injection administration assessment of client and completion of healthcare encounter.

Modules

Eligibility

The course will be available to:

Professions that can currently administer the COVID-19 vaccine under their scope of practice but may choose to take the RRC micro-credential course:
- physicians,
- physician assistants,
- clinical assistants,
- nurse practitioners,
- registered nurses,
- registered psychiatric nurses,
- licensed practical nurses, and
- paramedics.
Professions that can administer the COVID-19 vaccine under certain conditions, based on the December 9, 2020 order under The Regulated Health Professions Act (vaccination administration):
- pharmacists,
- midwives,
- dentists,
- physiotherapists,
- medical lab technologists,
- veterinarians,
- veterinary technologists,
- respiratory therapists,
- occupational therapists,
- paramedicine students registered in an approved paramedic education program who have completed the injection portion of the program,
- students in at least their second year of:
  - medicine,
  - licensed practical nursing,
  - psychiatric nursing,
  - registered nursing,
  - dentistry (who have completed the injection portion of the program),
  - medical laboratory technology,
  - occupational therapy,
  - pharmacy,
  - physiotherapy,
- respiratory therapy students in at least their third year (who have completed the injection portion of the program),
- former health care workers, including those who may no longer be registered with their professional college, and
- individuals qualified to practice medicine, licensed practical nursing, psychiatric nursing or registered nursing in another jurisdiction outside Manitoba or outside Canada.

See the Shared Health Manitoba website for a full eligibility list by job title.

Admission Requirements

Only individuals who have been hired as a COVID Immunization Clinic – Immunization Provider by Shared Health Manitoba are eligible for enrollment in this course.

A computer or other electronic device with Internet access is required.

English Language Assessment

English as an additional language applicants must meet the following English language requirements. Proof of the completed English Language Assessment is not required.

English Language Assessment	Minimum Required Levels
(L – Listening, S – Speaking, R – Reading, W – Writing)	L	S	R	W
CanTEST (Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees) RRC Institutional or Official CanTEST accepted.	4	4	4	3.5
IELTS – Academic (International English Language Testing System)	6	6	6	6
CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark)	7	7	7	7
TOEFL-iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – internet Based Test) To meet the needs of students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT® test at a test center due to public health concerns, ETS is temporarily offering the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test in selected areas.	18	18	18	21

Communication skills are critical for success in the health-care field. You will be assessed/graded on your communication skills during the lab portion of this course. Your ability to communicate clearly will impact your success in this course.

Employment

The course is being offered tuition-free with a commitment to provide service in vaccination clinics following completion.

Currently, there are job postings for clinic managers, immunization clinical leaders, immunization team members, clinic navigators and post-immunization observation team members.

As more vaccine arrives in the province, the number of jobs available are also expected to increase.

Every precaution will be taken to help protect Manitobans who choose to work in vaccination clinics, including appropriate personal protective equipment and a safe work environment.

For more information about employment opportunities in Manitoba’s vaccine clinics, along with direct links to posting of available jobs, visit the Shared Health Manitoba website and look for the section titled Immunization Clinics.

Schedules

The theory and lab schedules for each city are as follows:

	Sun Dec. 20	Mon Dec. 21	Tue Dec. 22	Wed Dec. 23	Thu Dec. 24	Fri Dec. 25	Sat Dec. 26
Winnipeg	–	Theory	Theory	Theory	–	–	–
	Sun Dec. 27	Mon Dec. 28	Tue Dec. 29	Wed Dec. 30	Thu Dec. 31	Fri Jan. 1	Sat Jan. 2
Winnipeg	–	–	Lab	Lab	–	–	–
Brandon	–	–	Theory	Theory	Theory	–	–
	Sun Jan. 3	Mon Jan. 4	Tue Jan. 5	Wed Jan. 6	Thu Jan. 7	Fri Jan. 8	Sat Jan. 9
Brandon	–	–	–	–	–	–	Lab
	Sun Jan. 10	Mon Jan. 11	Tue Jan. 12	Wed Jan. 13	Thu Jan. 14	Fri Jan. 15	Sat Jan. 16
Brandon	Lab	–	–	–	–	–	–
Winnipeg	–	Theory	Theory	Theory	Lab	Lab	–

The five-hour theory component is delivered online by RRC and the three-hour lab component is delivered in person by RRC (in Winnipeg) and Assiniboine Community College (in Brandon).

Apply

Interested individuals must apply to the COVID-19 Casual Pool. Look for the section titled Immunization Clinics.
Check Availability With Shared Health Manitoba

Additional Information

Questions about the course can be directed to Red River College by calling 204.694.1789 or emailing cde@rrc.ca.

Part-time and Online Education

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration

Course Information

What are Micro-credentials?

Student Learning and Modules

Student Learning

Modules

Eligibility

Admission Requirements

English Language Assessment

Employment

Schedules

Apply

Additional Information

Virtual Open House

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Micro-Credentials

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Questions