Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk for exposure to serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases. If you work directly with patients or handle material that could spread infection, you should get appropriate vaccines to reduce the chance that you will get or spread vaccine-preventable diseases. Protect yourself, your patients, and your family members. Make sure you are up-to-date with recommended vaccines.
Healthcare workers include physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, dental professionals and students, medical and nursing students, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, hospital volunteers, and administrative staff.
Vaccines | Recommendations in brief |
---|---|
Hepatitis B | If you don’t have documented evidence of a complete hepB vaccine series, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to hepatitis B (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) then you should
See Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the ACIP. |
Flu (Influenza) | Get 1 dose of influenza vaccine annually. |
MMR (Measles, Mumps, & Rubella) | If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to measles or mumps (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination), get 2 doses of MMR (1 dose now and the 2nd dose at least 28 days later). If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to rubella, only 1 dose of MMR is recommended. However, you may end up receiving 2 doses, because the rubella component is in the combination vaccine with measles and mumps.For HCWs born before 1957, see the MMR ACIP vaccine recommendations. |
Varicella (Chickenpox) | If you have not had chickenpox (varicella), if you haven’t had varicella vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to varicella (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) get 2 doses of varicella vaccine, 4 weeks apart. |
Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) | Get a one-time dose of Tdap as soon as possible if you have not received Tdap previously (regardless of when previous dose of Td was received).
Get either a Td or Tdap booster shot every 10 years thereafter. Pregnant HCWs need to get a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy. |
Meningococcal | Microbiologists who are routinely exposed to Neisseria meningitidis should get meningococcal conjugate vaccine and serogroup B meningococcal vaccine. |
To learn more about these diseases and the benefits and potential risks associated with the vaccines, read the Vaccine Information Statements (VIS).
Published Recommendations

- Immunization of HCW: Recommendations of ACIP. MMWR. 2011;60(RR07):1-45.
- General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization.
- ACIP Immunization Recommendations by specific disease
State Immunization Laws
- State Immunization Laws for Healthcare Workers and Patients
Summarizes state immunization laws for healthcare workers, correctional inmates/residents, hospital inpatients, and developmentally disabled facility residents; search for information on vaccine administration, assessment, and Hepatitis B reporting.
Resources for More Information
- HCW resources from Immunization Action Coalition
- Flu: Protect Your Patients. Protect Yourself
Toolkit features a variety of helpful resource materials for healthcare institutions to implement or expand their healthcare worker immunization programs (from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). - Increasing Flu Vaccination Rates among Healthcare Workers
Position statements from professional organizations, mandatory influenza vaccination policies, and many helpful resources from the National Influenza Vaccine Summit’s website.
Resources for Those Vaccinating HCWs
- Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations [1 page]
One-page reference sheet detailing the vaccines and conditions for vaccinating HCWs. - HCW web button
Place this web button on your website so HCWs can quickly access this page to see what vaccines they need. - Healthcare personnel resources from Immunization Action Coalition
- “Ask the Experts” MMR and HCW Questions and Answers
Answers to “If HCW develops rash after vaccinated, is he or she infectious?”, “What is the recommendation?” - “Ask the Experts” Flu and HCW Questions and Answers
Answers to “Which HCWs need the vaccine?”, “Can NICU staff receive vaccine without compromising their neonates?” and more. - “Ask the Experts” Hepatitis B and HCW Questions and Answers
Answers to “If HCW had one dose only 4 months ago, should series be restarted?”, “Is it safe for HCWs to be vaccinated during pregnancy?” and more.
- “Ask the Experts” MMR and HCW Questions and Answers
- Flu Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel