The Department of Health is to recruit up to 1,000 new COVID-19 vaccinators to free up health professionals to return to their normal duties.
Announced by Acting Minister for Health, James Merlino, applications for the new jobs opened this week (starting 17 January) and the talent pool is expected to include first-year health students and retired nurses, among others.
“The expanded force will join nurse and pharmacist immunisers in State-run vaccination clinics for up to six months and will be supervised by experienced clinicians,” Mr Merlino said.
“The new vaccinators will be operating in well-established public health service-run sites, with robust processes in place to ensure the new workforce is appropriately trained, supervised and supported,” he said.
“Known as Limited Scope COVID-19 Vaccinators, they will be required to successfully complete mandatory Commonwealth and Victorian COVID-19 vaccination training – equivalent to training requirements for other emergency authorised COVID-19 vaccination workforces.”
Mr Merlino said the new vaccinators would also need to complete a COVID-19 Clinical Skills and Competencies Assessment to ensure they could perform their duties appropriately.
He said the vaccinators would not be responsible for establishing patient consent and would only be authorised to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to people over the age of 18 years.
The Minister said the vaccinators would be supported and supervised by a ‘supervising authorised immuniser’, provided by health services, with relevant skills and experience in the technical aspects of vaccination.
“Over the next few months, Victorians with appropriate knowledge, skills and experience will be encouraged to join the COVID-19 vaccinator workforce as required,” he said.
“Victorians with experience working in a health or community service setting, or who are enrolled in a health-related course, are desired – and they should regularly review local health service job advertisements and Department of Health jobs and careers websites,” Mr Merlino said.
The State’s COVID-19 related job listings can be accessed at this PS News link.
