Staffing a Vaccination Clinic

At a glance

Vaccination clinic staffing plans should include all necessary functional roles and be scalable to the expected size of the clinic (i.e., number of people expected to be vaccinated).

Leadership Roles and Responsibilities

Health care professionals at a table discussing amongst each other
Leadership staff come together to coordinate essential operations.

Designate leaders to oversee and coordinate the following operations and tasks

(backup leaders are highly encouraged):

  • Identifying all staff needed for the clinic
  • Clinic site selection
  • Finances related to all staffing, logistics, and vaccine purchase
  • Preordering vaccine(s) if not using an already available supply
  • Administrative functions, including requirements for data management strategies
  • Public information and communication
  • Training of all staff, including training clinical staff on:
    • Vaccine ordering
    • Vaccine storage, handling pre-clinic, during transport, at the clinic, and post-clinic
    • Vaccine preparation and administration
    • How to recognize an allergic reaction to vaccination
    • What to do if a medical emergency occurs
  • Emergency medical services (EMS) or other options for handling emergency situations
  • Security planning and implementation, including evacuation plans
  • Logistics before and during the clinic, including securing all services and material requirements
  • On-site infection prevention and control measures, based on local epidemiology and standard practices
  • Post-clinic reporting and recording of vaccinations administered, including reporting to the jurisdiction immunization information system (IIS)

Extensive planning and coordination will be necessary if there are multiple clinics at multiple sites. There should be a higher-level leadership team handling the planning for all clinics, with separate leadership at each clinic site.

Day-of Clinic Staff

Group of Healthcare Professionals.
Confirm that appropriate staffing and resources are in place.

Ensure adequate staff has been secured to provide the following functions:

  • IT support for online processes (e.g., registration, scheduling, screening)
  • Security
  • Traffic monitoring for drive-through or curbside clinics
  • Monitoring logistical, administrative, and financial activities
  • Communication with patients with language needs
  • Assistance to people with disabilities
  • Patient registration, including collecting any insurance information or fees
  • Reviewing vaccination history in the immunization information system (IIS) or electronic medical record
  • Screening (using children and teens or adults checklist) for contraindications and precautions
  • Direct clinic flow, including greeting patients to ensure they are at the correct place and guiding them as appropriate
  • Patient education (for example, providing vaccine information statements (VIS) or emergency use authorization (EUA) fact sheets)
  • Vaccine supply management, including storage, handling, and transport to the clinic if necessary
  • Vaccine temperature monitoring before, during, and after the clinic
  • Vaccine preparation and administration
  • Patient observation post-vaccination for syncope or allergic reaction
  • Emergency medical services if needed (e.g., CPR and management of allergic reactions)
  • Vaccine reporting to the jurisdiction IIS (during or after the clinic)

Training

Healthcare professional at a computer.
Trained staff are critical to the success of a vaccination clinic.

Staff training is critical.

Training should include an observational assessment. Validate staff knowledge and skills in vaccine administration with a skills checklist. Ensure clinical staff members are trained in:

  • How to answer common questions about vaccines
  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic life support (BLS)
  • Infection prevention and control practices
  • Vaccine storage, handling, preparation, and administration for the vaccine(s) being offered
  • How and where to document vaccines administered
  • Recognition and management of severe allergic reactions
  • Prevention, recognition, and management of syncope
  • Plan for medical management of adverse events
  • Process for reporting severe allergic reactions and other adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

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Vaccine storage, handling, preparation, and administration for the vaccine(s) trainings and resources include:

Manufacturer’s instructions in vaccine package inserts
Vaccine Administration
Learn proper vaccine administration protocols and access vaccine administration trainings.
You Call The Shots
YCTS is an interactive training on vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccine recommendations.
Pink Book Education Series

Clinic Security

illustration of people looking at personal contact information
Ensure your vaccination clinic remains a safe and trusted space for patients.
  • Designate a space or system to secure vaccine and protect clinic staff and their valuables.
  • Consider options to assist with crowd management, including using a uniform security guard if appropriate.
  • Be aware of any local factors that may impact safety.

Make your vaccine clinic a safe place.

Coordinate with government, nonprofit, and private sector partners

Illustration of office workers in masks at a desk in the United States.
Think about coordinating with partners, programs, and organizations to help you plan, run, and promote your clinic.

Government entities, including state and local immunization programs and state and local public health preparedness programs, as well as other nonprofit and private sector organizations can assist with your plans.

For example, your local or state immunization program can provide information about:

  • Underserved areas and populations
  • The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and how it functions related to temporary vaccination clinics
  • Possible options for government-funded vaccine for adults
  • Your jurisdiction's IIS for reporting vaccination or regulations about providing information to a patient's primary care provider
  • Additional legal and regulatory requirements, including the requirement for standing orders to vaccinate

State and local preparedness programs can provide expertise on:

  • Budget support
  • Clinic flow charts
  • Coordination with the jurisdictional emergency management agency
  • Floor maps
  • Inventory management strategies
  • Job action sheets
  • Organizational and incident management structures
  • Transportation, law enforcement, and EMS coordination
  • Volunteer coordination and management strategies

Always check with your immunization program for specific requirements on how vaccines should be delivered, stored, monitored, and documented.

These programs and organizations can assist in promoting your event and may be able to assist with staffing and other resources. Depending on the support offered, you may wish to have formal agreements with partner organizations.

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Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Immunization Services Division
  • Extensive planning and coordination will be necessary if there are multiple clinics at multiple sites. There should be a higher-level leadership team handling the planning for all clinics, with separate leadership at each clinic site.